Hajime No Yang: Fists of Flame
by 0-Tengatsu-0
Summary: Boxing, the highly skilled art of beating things to a pulp with your knuckles, or wearing down your opponent 'till they can't stand. Join pro-boxer Yang Xiao Long (and her friends) as they climb up the rankings of Remnant's boxing world to take down the strongest fists! The question is, can Yang pull it off with fists and will alone? (Hajime no Ippo x RWBY AU, Image from alphaawsm)
1. Throw the first real punch

**(A.N: And so, welcome to the first Chapter of Hajime no Yang, Fists of Flame! Of course, this is a Hajime no Ippo AU, mostly stemming from Yang's Dempsey-Roll on Junior in her first Trailer. Make sure to check out my first story Into the Dark for more consistent (?) updates. Either way, get your boxing gloves on, light your eyes up with fightin' spirit and enjoy!)**

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 **Hajime No Yang, Fists of Flame**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Yang, throw your first boxing punch!**

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"Yang... what did I tell you about using your fists in the streets?" Taiyang asked sternly, angrily even. Yang huffed and crossed her arms, wincing at the slight bruise on her face. It was one hell of a fight, beating three guys into submission when they just refused to stop harassing her. All of them were currently in the hospital still being treated for broken ribs, arms, and generally being fully fucked up. "... I mean, they started it," She muttered back haughtily. "Yes, but you know you didn't need to finish it that way!" Taiyang argued back. "Look, just because you're as strong as your are doesn't mean you can just go violently dismembering people, even if they start something."

"To be fair, I didn't tear off anyone's limbs," She shot back with heavy snark.

"That's not the point Yang!" He shouted, silencing her. He sighed and turned around, massaging his temples and trying to think... and then something came to him. "Yang, you know that Ruby's been taking boxing lessons, right?" Curious and suspicious at the sudden change in topic, Yang nodded slowly. "Well, how would you like to join her? Her coach Ozpin of the Beacon Boxing-Gym is a good friend of mine, I don't have a doubt in my mind that he wouldn't turn you down. How does that sound?" Quickly, Yang's mood changed from bad to worse, her eyes heating up. She had a bit of a sore-spot for boxing, as her mother had abandoned her and her father at a young age to pursue her dream to become the world champion. "Look, I know that you aren't fond of your mother for what she did. But, if you took up boxing with Ruby, hey, you just could go pro. I mean, with that strength of yours, you could probably give Raven a run for her money!" Yang was genuinely surprised, her interest peaking. "So... you're basically giving me permission to punch mom really hard?"

"Well, that's one way to put it," He chuckled, sitting down next to her. "For now, I'm thinking of it as a way to channel your anger. Obviously, it'll help with your fitness at well, and who knows, you actually make a good pro if you. So, whadda you say sunshine?" She thought about it for a few seconds, her pulse starting to race at the thought of blasting into someone (specifically mother-dearest) with her raw power. It was a tantalizing treat, and it was one that she took. "Alright. I'll give it a try."

(A few minutes later...)

'So this is a boxing gym huh?' She thought, sniffing the air. 'Smells... surprisingly clean.' The place was quite tidy but very spacious, a traditional boxing-ring in the center, a row of heavy bags to one side, benches on the other, the works. One noticeable thing about the place was the color-scheme, being a nice blend of emerald green with white accents, from the walls to the floor to even some of the doors. Looking around, she saw Ruby working on the skip-rope. What surprised her was how blindingly fast she looked, her feet blurs of motion and the rope making a constant whirring sound like a fan switched to it's highest setting. Ruby's eyes saw Yang and she smiled, stopping and putting down the rope, running up to her. "Hey sis, what are you doing here?" She asked, clearly happy to see her. "Dad suggested that I join you and try out boxing." Still, Yang's eyes moved around, switching over to the heavy-bags in one corner of the room. On it was a rather slim girl with pale skin and pure-white hair. She didn't seem particularly strong, but her movements around the bag were immensely fluid, her hands snapping out and hitting the bag with an incredibly precise *PAK* sound. "Oh, that's Weiss. She's been around longer than me, and she sometimes sees to my training too. She's super-skilled, not the kind of person you can just brawl it out with."

"Unless it's me," Yang bragged, smirking and flexing. Ruby snorted and punched her arm, and it was then Yang noticed something: Ruby had been here for at least an hour, and assuming that she was working for that hour straight, she was barely sweating. "Ruby... how long have you been working?"

"Oh, since I got here. Did a lot of running, some bag-work, mitt-work with Coach Ozpin, the works," She said casually. "Damn, and you haven't even broken a sweat yet? How many cookies did you eat before getting here?" Yang joked, earning an embarrassed pout from Ruby. Once again Yang's eyes drifted, stopping on the ring and the two people in it. First was a man in a green t-shirt and dark green jogging-pants, his hands covered by black mitts as he moved around the accommodate the second person. Said second person caused Yang to stare: the girl's back was facing her, but her black hair was glossy and slightly damp with sweat, her attire consisting of black shorts, white sneakers and a grey top. 'Those clothes don't hide how well-toned she is, from her legs to her arms... oh and her butt too. _Especially_ dat booty,' She thought, licking her lips before paying attention to what the girl was doing.

"Continue to use your flicker-jabs Blake, but I'm not seeing your crosses!" Blake's movements were a mix between Weiss' footwork, Ruby's speed (granted, it wasn't as fast), but her punches were powerful. Yang was enthralled by the black-haired beauty's attacks, her left hand flying out at strange angles but slamming into the pads with a beat of *POW-POW-POW*, followed by a blinding right, Ozpin's hand being blown back slightly. A buzzer went off and Ozpin yelled "Time! Go rest now Blake, we're done for today. Good job overall, just remember to use your right more often." Blake nodded and silently exited the ring, her golden eyes widening slightly as her and Yang's eyes met.

Yang sent a flirty wink her, Blake returning a slightly embarrassed smile as she sat on a bench and drank some water. "Who's she?" Yang whispered, motioning towards Blake. Of course, being a Faunus with an extra pair of ears meant that she heard everything pretty clearly, granted Ruby and Yang were terrible at whispering. "Oh, that's Blake Belladonna. She can be pretty quiet, but she's currently the best out of me and Weiss. Those flicker-jabs of hers are so frustrating to defend against, even Weiss has trouble getting past them."

"Flicker...?" Yang asked, completely lost.

"Oh yeah, you don't know too much about certain punches. Lemme teach you since it's your first day." Ruby stepped into a fighting-stance, her right foot and hand forward. Yang was looking on mildly interested, not expecting much until Ruby's hand and shoulder relaxed. Her hand shot out so fast, she swore that she blinked. "Basically, you have to-!"

"Yang, come over here for a second." Taiyang called over. Yang quickly hugged Ruby and jogged over to Taiyang and Ozpin, both of whom were talking by the corner of the ring. Ozpin gave Yang a quick once over, his face blank as he said, "So, this is your eldest, hmm? She takes after her mother." Yang's teeth instantly ground against each other, that was twice in a day her mom was brought up, not exactly the formula for a happy Yang. "Ah, she seems to have quite the temper too, kind of like you when you were younger, wouldn't you say Taiyang?" The man was about to speak before Ozpin quickly intervened. "Anyway, put on some gloves, headgear and get ready, your going to be sparring. Blake! Are you fine to fight?" Everyone was caught off guard, staring at Ozpin. Blake was the first to recover though, nodding and quickly putting on her gloves. "Oz, you can't just do that!" Taiyang whispered (he was also terrible at whispering), "She's at a clear disadvantage."

Yang snorted, catching the attention of both men. "Of course she's at a disadvantage, she's fighting _me_." Ozpin raised a brow with a small smirk and Taiyang went quiet, looking like he wanted to say something. Yang may have been a hot-head, but she was far from stupid and caught the meaning of the silence. "Wait... you think that I can't win against her?" She asked, incredulous. "Well, get in the ring and attempt to prove me wrong," Ozpin said back calmly. Yang scowled and went over to strap on her gear after being directed by Ruby. "Wow, you're going to be straight up sparring, against Blake too!?" She squealed as she put on Yang's gear. "Please, it'll be over in a flash," Yang said confidently, Ruby shooting her a serious look. "Yang, this isn't a street-fight or a brawl. Honestly, I want to give you some advice, but I think it's best for you to learn." Yang grinned and pat Ruby and the head. "Please, if anything, _you'll_ be the one learning just how strong I am."

When she climbed into the ring, Blake's back was facing her as she lightly bounced on her toes. "Yo," Yang called. Blake turned, her own face calm, "Hey, nice to meet you," she returned, holding out her black glove. Yang looked at it for a second before she knew what the gesture meant, touching her red gloves to Blake's. "Sorry 'bout this, but I've gotta set an example for my little sis down there. I'll beat you in no time!" Blake raised her eyebrows and smirked to Yang's surprise. "Good luck with that." With that, she walked over to her corner of the ring, leaving Yang slightly stunned. She'd never encountered someone with that kind of sass towards her, yet it didn't frustrate or anger her... it made her smile as she put in her mouth-guard.

"Alright then ladies," Ozpin said as he motioned for them to listen. "No punching below the waist, no punching the back, and no punching the back of the head. When someone is knocked down I will give that person ten seconds to stand up unless it's a slip. When the round his done I expect you to go back to your corner. This match is only going to be four rounds, best of luck Xiao Long." With that he raised his hands into the air and yelled "Box!"

In that moment, Yang took a second to process what was happening. She was currently in a boxing-gym for the first time in her life, about to fight some random stranger, just because she beat up some guys who harassed her, all within a handful of minutes. 'Straight to the point then,' She thought with a grin, dashing forward and rearing her right hand back. 'I'll end this in one punch!, she initially thought. Blake looked like she was bouncing on the spot, her face calm until her left suddenly flashed out, striking Yang full in the face. Yang's eyes glazed over for a moment before she regained consciousness, stunned as she stumbled backwards in an attempt to stay on her feet. She looked back up at Blake, shocked at how someone had managed not just to hit her, but to nearly send her to the floor with a single well-placed blow. Of course she got very, very pissed within the following seconds.

Again she charged forward and swung wide. She swore that she hit her, but her fist just seemed to pass through empty air where Blake once was a moment ago. Blake watched on calmly, her guard still up but her body relaxed. With another great swing at her head came another miss. 'Come on, all I need is one shot!' Yang thought as she continued to swing, following Blake as the Faunus slowly backed up while dodging and viciously countering with calm accuracy, each shot fired into Yang's face and body. 'Yes, I've almost got her to the ropes!' Blake's back soon touched said corner, but Yang was still given that calm, cool expression. Yang ignored it and swung again, fists plowing through the air and about to tear through Blake's guard... only for her to miss once more, Blake having smoothly stepped around her.

With all that momentum however, Yang's fist still smashed into the corner's board with a deafening *BANG*, the entire ring shaking from the blow. Everyone stared in shock as Yang removed her fist, it had actually caused the wood to nearly snap in half. Even Blake stopped moving, her eyes wide at Yang's display of strength. When Yang turned around, she saw something incredibly off with the gorgeous, wild brawler; her lilac eyes had turned into a bloody shade of red. Fear paralyzed Blake, and gave Yang the opportunity she was waiting for. This time, Yang shot her right fist straight forward directly into Blake's face. She was sent flying backwards, her body bouncing off the floor. "Down!" Ozpin yelled, getting in between Yang and Blake. "Go to your neutral corner!"

Blake's vision was completely hazy and her head was swimming. Her nose wasn't busted, thankfully, but she felt a searing pain in her left cheek. 'Damn... that was the hardest punch I've ever taken,' She thought with a groan, slowly lifting herself off the canvas, legs wobbly and numb. 'Great, now I can't move around as much anymore.' She looked at Ozpin and raised her fists into a fighting-guard, nodding to signal she was ready. Ozpin nodded back and yelled, "Box!" Yang coming out of her corner, rearing to take Blake down. 'She's definitely the hardest puncher I've ever faced, but her level of skill is based solely on her emotions and instinct. I know exactly what to do: time to take it up to top gear.' Yang's walk was halted when Blake took up an entirely new stance, her right hand still up by her face but her left now hanging close to her waist, swaying slightly.

Weiss's eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms as soon as she saw Blake pick that stance up. "Hmm. I'm actually impressed." Ruby who was sitting right next to her, heard her and asked, "Why's that?" Weiss pointed to Blake in her new stance, one Ruby had never seen before but hadn't given it much thought. "Yang actually forced Blake to fight seriously, and so she's switched to the guard that's favored her the most: the Detroit Style."

"Detroit, as in the city up northern Vale? What does that have to do with Blake's stance?"

"The style was made by famous Champion Thomas Hearns, also called the 'Hitman style', his style of punching with his left from that lower angle made it harder to predict, and always set up his devastating right hand. With Blake having excellent flicker-jabs and being a perfect counter-fighter, on top of using the style, I don't think Yang has any chance of just brawling it out with her." Out of nowhere, the bell sounded and Ozpin stepped in between them. "Round's over, go to your corners." Yang and Blake stared at each other for a moment before walking away, sitting down on their stools. While Ruby walked up to Blake, surprisingly, Weiss was the one to walk up to Yang's corner.

"Haah... haah... oh shit..." Yang panted, noticing how exhausted she was. Her face was sore, and her legs felt heavy. "Stay still," A new voice interrupted Yang's thoughts. She looked to the right and saw Weiss holding a water-bottle close to her face. "Sip a bit, don't gulp." Yang did so and felt herself revive, if not just by a little bit. "How do you feel? Can you still fight?" Weiss asked. 'Straight to the point huh? I like her,' Yang thought with a small grin. "Yeah... that girl's punches are... pretty weak. So why are they... hurtin' so much?"

"Every time you swing wildly, you're leaving yourself wide open, and with all that weight you put into those punches, it's all being used against you with every counter-punch that Blake throws." Yang was intently listening to Weiss now, caught off guard by the knowledge that Weiss had. "Wow, you're pretty knowledgeable in this stuff," She complimented, earning a small smile from Weiss. "Any suggestions?"

"Don't charge in recklessly and don't swing recklessly, you're only falling into Blake's trap if you do that. Keep your hands up by your face and carefully watch what she's doing, breath in deeply and exhale slowly while you regain your stamina. That stance she picked up right before the round ended favors her style the most, you get caught in that and you _will_ go down no matter how tough you think you are. You remember that punch that your little sister taught you just before you were called into the ring?"

"The... jab?" Yang asked. "That's it. With your strength, something as simple as a jab should be pretty damaging to Blake."

"Seconds out!" Ozpin called, Weiss nodding and whispering, "Best of luck in there Yang." Yang smirked and said, "Thanks for the help." Blake had more or less fully recovered, even if the side of her face was still pretty damn sore. She picked her hands up in her Detroit Style, ready to put Yang's charge to a halt... except Yang didn't charge in. It was Blake's turn to be surprised, Yang had picked her own hands up in a solid, traditional guard, her eyes calm as she watched Blake, slowly shifting her feet forward. 'Her foot-work is amateurish, but her guard looks quite effective. Has she been hiding this?' Blake wondered as she bounced lightly, waiting for Yang to come. 'Still, her punches could still be slow and wild, I just have to wait for that moment.'

A moment later, Yang's left came flashing out, hitting Blake square in the face. 'Yeah, got her!' When Yang removed her fist however, both fighters were confused: no damage had been done. Blake took her chance, and her left hand just seemed to multiply on itself as they hit Yang in the face rapid-fire. Yang grimaced as one socked her right into the eye, another on the chin making her knees wobble. 'Why didn't that do any damage? It should've hurt her!' Yang started to loose her cool as she jabbed again, Blake once dodging once more with ease as she fired off another one of her weird jabs from below, slamming right into Yang's jaw. When Yang stumbled, Blake didn't hesitate, her right cracking across Yang's face.

"Down! Blake, to your neutral corner!" Yang was absolutely stunned: never in her life had she been knocked down the thought served to piss her off even further. "One! Two! Three!" Yang struggled to get to her feet, wobbling and falling onto her butt again. "Five! Six! Seven!" Yang grunted as she smashed her fist into the canvas, the force enough to propel her up and onto her feet from her kneeling position. She put her hands up and looked at Ozpin, who stopped the count. "Can you continue?" Yang stayed silent and nodded quickly, regretting the decision as her right eye began to throb, the eyelid beginning to swell up. "Box!" Blake to everyone's shock flew out of the corner, striking Yang with another lighting-fast cross.

Yang desperately kept her hands up as she was driven into the corner, Blake using a quick combination of hooks and uppercuts to knock Yang around and keep her in the corner. 'How did Ruby throw that punch? Come on, try to remember!' The thought furiously, replaying the image of Ruby showing her the punch. The image was shattered as Blake's left embedded itself in Yang's liver, the blond doubling over as agony rocked her body. Despite that, she stayed up and her mind was still clear, back to remembering what to do. 'It... she didn't push her hand out, it was more like..." Yang tried it this time, her left shooting out far faster than before and making a loud *SNAP* sound on Blake's face, stopping her assault and sending the Faunus reeling.

Blake grit her teeth and went back to pinning Yang in the corner. 'That one hurt, but she's lost all of her strength, she can't hit back like she did before. End this before things get bloody,' she though as she drilled Yang with flowing combinations. 'No, it was still slow, that wasn't exactly it. Ruby... she did _this_...' Her left shoulder and arm relaxed, her fist no longer clenched, 'And then she did _this!_ ' Blake was caught completely off guard by the explosion of a jab that blasted across her face, her entire neck twisting as she stumbled all the way to the center of the ring. 'Yes, that was it!' Yang cheered internally, managing to drag her feet forward. 'I can fight with her evenly now!' Blake didn't know what to think. With two punches, one wild and one precisely powerful, Blake was feeling the damage from the top of her ears to the tips of her toes.

'How does she make a jab so damn powerful? Hell, how did she learn something while in the middle of a fight!?' Blake thought, her own face contorting into anger. 'I am not about to let some brawling rookie beat me, not after all that hard work I've done to get into Beacon boxing!' Blake unloaded a storm of Flicker-Jabs, crashing into Yang's face without any mercy. Still she moved forward, another jab flashing out and nearly catching Blake. Yet despite Yang's newfound punch, Blake wasn't one to stand still, she quickly darted around Yang while pummeling her with jabs and the now frequent right-hand. Yang was starting to get dizzy, her nose and upper-lip felt wet for some reason after Blake's right smashed into her face, but she ignored it for the most part. 'I can hit her, I can hit her, I can hit her!' She chanted to herself, sticking to her guns and firing off her deadly jab as much as she could.

She managed to catch Blake again as she drifted to the right, another *SNAP* echoing as it hit Blake above her left eye. 'I've got you right where I want you!' Blake roared to herself as a left blasted into Yang's liver, Yang bending over from the sheer pain only to get caught across the jaw with another right, her eyes rolling up into her head as she dropped to the floor. As Ozpin started to count and Blake went to the corner, she thought, 'That's more than enough to put her down.' Her jaw nearly dropped to the floor as she saw Yang rising, her arms shaking and sweat pooling around her. Her eyes were glazed over, completely lifeless even she blinked, lilac turning to red once more as she put her fists up, blood dripping down her nose and cut lip.

Again Blake shot out of the corner, wasting no time as her right split Yang's weak guard wide open, glove crashing into Yang's face. Yang jabbed back yet again, but this time it had no power, just a weak push. 'Go down! Go down already, please!' Two hooks to the face sent her to the floor again, her body dropping like a wet sock. Yet again she rose, dead eyes searching for Blake until they landed on her. Ozpin didn't even get to count as Yang stumbled forward again. Blake could just barely hear Yang say something under her breath along the lines of, "I can hit her... I can hit her...!" Over and over again, jabs weak and soft, but still being fired out constantly. 'That's enough, I have to end this before she gets seriously hurt. Sorry for this!'

Blake raised her right hand high into the air, Yang still unable to notice it, and she brought it down mercilessly into the brawler's neck with an almost sickening *CRACK*. Finally, Yang's body gave in on itself as she collapsed face-first on the floor, completely unconscious. Ozpin waved his hands over his head, signaling the end of the match. Ruby, Ozpin and even Blake rushed into the ring, trying to call out for Yang. They didn't get any response, of course.

(Sometime later...)

Yang shot awake, sitting upright and regretting it as she felt pain shoot through her. "Ow..." She groaned, lying back down on one of the benches. "God... everything hurts..." She muttered, gingerly touching her cheek. "Good to see that you're not in a coma." Yang arched her head back slightly, catching sight of Blake. The girl had a nasty looking bruise on her left cheek, and her left eyelid pretty swollen. "...I kinda wish I was," Yang chuckled back. "You're the first person to ever beat me, especially this bad. I've gotta say, you've impressed me." Blake gave her a curious look. "I impressed you? Should be the other way around, you fought well for your first time."

"...my first time was with you, eh?" Yang said cheekily. Blake didn't understand for a few seconds before her cheeks went a bit red as she glared at Yang. "Oh shut up, you know what I mean. All that aside though, I'm Blake Belladonna," she said, holding out a hand. Sitting up slowly, Yang clasped her hand, shaking it. "Yang. Yang Xiao Long." Her eyes drifted up to the pair of cat-ears on top of Blake's head, staring at them for a bit. Blake noticed and was instantly defensive. "You... don't have a problem with Faunus, do you?"

"Me? Nah," Yang said as a genuine smile came onto her face. "Besides, they look good on ya." Blake couldn't help but blush a bit at that. "Thank you."

"So you're awake then," Turning away from the shake, Yang's eyes met Ozpin's own. "How did that feel Xiao Long?" Yang couldn't help but grin, holding up a fist. "Felt like hell, but it was fun. The most fun I've had in a while, come to think about it." Ozpin himself was quite surprised. He'd expected the loss of this flame-tempered brawler to severely dampen her ego, but it seems that he found a very rare breed of fighter: the kind who just wanted a good fight. "Interesting... So, would you be interested in joining my Gym?" Yang smirked and nodded with a thumbs up. "If I can get fights like that all the time, then hell yeah, sign me up!"

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 **(A.N: So, how did I do? This story most likely won't get regularly updated, but depending on how much attention this gets. Anyway, Follow Fav and Review is you like what you see, and be sure to check out my other story Into the Dark. See ya!)**


	2. The Peek-a-boo, reborn!

**(A.N: Thank you all so much for the support that this story has been getting so far! Nothing else to say beyond that except be sure to check out my other works. Enjoy!)**

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 **Hajime No Yang: Fists of Flame**

 **Chapter 2**

 **Rebirth of the Peek-a-boo!**

 **The first fight, right on the Horizon...**

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"Never mind, I take back what I said, I regret everything," Yang groaned as she continued to try pounding away at the bag. Having worked out for well over one hour with brutal conditioning drills, bag-work and (god help her) running, she was definitely tired. Hell, she was exhausted. "Oh please, don't cry about it," Blake chuckled as she worked the bag next to Yang. "Hell, I can see that you aren't even trying to hit it. Stop being a lazy-ass and just hit the damn thing would you?" Despite the words Blake used, Yang knew better. The two of them had quickly become friends within the few weeks that they'd gotten to know each other, Blake knowing almost exactly how to bring out the best in Yang when she was overseeing her training while the brawler had returned the favor by getting her to be more open, if not at least by a little bit. Progress _was_ progress after all. Yang grinned and slammed a vicious hook into the bag, the usual shotgun-like ***BANG*** sound echoing through the Gym.

The bag itself was suspended in the air for a moment before it dropped down again, the chain holding it up clanking heavily. Yang didn't stop there, she was fired up and she drilled multiple jabs before another hook crashed into the bag. Her footwork wasn't the best thing in the world as she shifted to punch again, but her explosive strength had made up for it. Blake couldn't help but fire back at her own bag, her punches less powerful but faster and more fluid in response to Yang, something that didn't go unnoticed by the blond. "Alright then, your on!" They pounded away at their bags, getting faster and hitting harder as time passed. They continued to raise the bar between them, right up until Yang's stamina just couldn't keep up. She was covered in sweat by the end of ten minutes, panting heavily but grinning like no tomorrow, that smile only growing wider when she looked at Blake again.

The luscious-haired Faunus was still going at it, her movement, punches and speed still the same as two uppercuts hit the bag with a sharp *PAP-PAP* noise like a pistol. "Jesus Blake, how are you not tired?" Yang asked, incredulous at the amount of stamina that the girl had, and that was the one thing which Yang wished she had. Even though she was a quick learner in the gym, her stamina tended to be the main issue. Blake finally decided to stop, her skin covered in a thin sheen of sweat. "I just do a lot of running, and I mean a lot," She replied, her breathing deep but not wild or showing any signs of severe exhaustion. "It takes time to build up stamina, time and constant practice with rest in-between to let yourself develop. Still though, you're developing really well, and I think it's due to your natural athleticism." Yang grinned and gestured towards her bountiful chest in the orange high-cut t-shirt. "Believe me, I know I'm quite well developed," She said, waggling her eyebrows.

Blake turned a but redder and rolled her eyes with a small grin. "Yang, come into the ring!" Ozpin called, garnering the interest of Yang. The last time he called on her for mitt-work was two weeks ago to show her the uppercut, something that she nearly blew Ozpin's hand off with. "It's time for us to polish you up and find the style that suits you best."

"Ooh, you're gonna love this," Blake whispered as Yang smiled again.

"Damn right I am!" She quickly ran over and attempted to vault over the ropes... only to land flat of her face. Ruby and Blake burst into laughter while Weiss managed to (barely) contain it, Ozpin sighing and tapping his foot, trying to hide his own amusement. Yang herself was also laughing, granted she was a tad bit embarrassed by the ordeal. "Alright, that's enough laughing, now back to work the rest of you." Yang shook herself off and stood in front of Ozpin, her hands up in the orthodox stance and her body bouncing slightly. The white-haired coach simply stared at her for a moment, Yang simply waiting for him. This was how he does things, and they've worked pretty well. "Yang," He spoke after a while, "Dodge." His mitt-covered right hand shot out at her face, and she quickly slipped her head out of the way, leather scraping her cheek. He didn't stop and continued to throw sharp punches at her, some of which Yang was getting hit with.

Her slightly side-on stance made it hard to avoid shots, especially when it was a quick, whip-like hook which she had to duck under. 'Shit, I still can't get used to his damn speed, he's as fast as Ruby! Dodging like this is really hard too, I need to find some kind of way to move even faster,' She thought as another jab lightly struck her in the face.

"Come on Yang, put the puzzle-pieces together!" Ozpin said sternly. "You're having trouble moving your head out of the way in a side-on stance, what do you do?" Yang racked her brain, something slowly forming in her mind. 'Well crap, might as well give it a try!' Shifting her feet again, she squared up with Ozpin entirely, all of her torso facing him. As she did that, another razor-sharp jab flew out... and hitting nothing. Yang moved her head out of the way far faster than she expected, tipping over and falling on the floor as her tired legs gave out. "Sh-shit, sorry Coach," she said, embarrassed again. "I thought that would work..." She trailed off when she saw the smile on Ozpin's face.

"Stand up," He said with a hint of excitement. "Do exactly what you just did without overbalancing yourself." Surprised, Yang quickly stood and they went back into it again. Yang did as she was told, and suddenly very few blows seemed to hit her, punches whipping into nothing but air. "Good, just like that! Now keep your guard close and tight, put your back and shoulders into those head-slips!" This time Yang had a bit of trouble with that, her upper body movements still quite stiff and rigid, her torso often as still as a board before she used the shoulder-roll too late, her rhythm becoming messed up and more punches hitting her. "No, move your shoulder _towards_ the punch while getting your head out of the way of the attack!" He instructed.

With that, Yang had a far better understanding of what to do, the simple addition of rolling her shoulders making the defensive slips far easier to use, the fluidity of each dodge highly increased. Still, there was a limit to everything, and that everything was Yang's stamina. After about thirty seconds, she was beginning to slow down, and the punches started to hit her again. 'Damn it, I need more speed,' She thought, her eyes clearly seeing what was coming but her body too worn out to react. 'I need to keep moving!'

"That's enough," A sharp, strict voice echoed through the gym, everyone stopping in their tracks. "Oz, if the girl keeps going at this rate, she'll pass out from a lack of oxygen, no matter how much she breathes." The woman who spoke: Glynda Goodwitch, Beacon Gym's secondary boxing instructor, manager and also the head nurse. Indeed when she spoke of anything to do with the human body and its scientifically proven fighting capabilities, she clearly knew it all; no coincidence that she had a PhD in Biology and a Major in the Study of the Human Body. The man chuckled, taking off his mitts. "Ah, you're right, sorry about that Yang. It still needs some polishing-up, but it isn't a bad start. We're done for today, so go home and get some rest. You as well Ruby, you've also been working non-stop for quite a while too." Said red-themed girl, while seeming to have freakish stamina, was more accustomed to intense bursts of activity rather than a prolonged grueling session, (something Ozpin was adamant about giving her). Needless to say, she was drenched in sweat, even more so than Yang as she weakly raised a thumbs up from the bench she was lying on. " _Gooot iiit..._ " She groaned.

As the red and yellow sisters left, Ozpin went into his office and sat down at his desk, looking up at the ceiling. "She's incredibly talented," Glynda spoke after a while. "Yes, she is indeed. I've only seen raw talent like that once before. It didn't worry me enough then... it does now."

"She's simply a fast learner-"

"Yes, but five weeks? You mean to tell me that she's gotten every textbook punch to a professional level down in such a short time, especially her hooks and uppers? It took Ruby two moths to fully utilize effective combinations while Yang strings them together without any real issue! The only other person whom I coached had that kind of ability was..." The temperature of the room had begun to drop as that person was being brought up. "Yang will not turn out like her mother," Glynda stated firmly. "Simply because they have that same physical talent does not mean that they have the same mindset. Raven wanted to become feared, she wanted to become strong in order to fulfill that desire. We all know that Yang is the polar opposite of that."

Thinking about it, Ozpin realized that Glynda was right. Raven during all of his time coaching her was vindictive, barely listened to him when it came to fights, and loved to see her opponents beaten without any form of mercy. Yang in the time that he had come to know her, was far from that: proud, boisterous, and a tad bit overconfident at times, yes, but she was a truly gentle, caring soul. She hated to take things too far unless she got heated, she wanted to win and win fairly, and then there was the final difference between the mother and daughter. Raven fought with blood-lust, the intent to send her opponent to the hospital or literally kill them in the ring. Yang fought with something that couldn't be taught, a weapon that Ozpin himself had once when he was a fighter: courage.

"...Well, I suppose you're right, it _is_ to early to discern something like that from her," He conceded, noticing a smile from Glynda. "What?"

"You were wearing that face again," She said. "The one you had when you were on the ropes but as excited as ever."

"Did I now?" He laughed heartily. "Well, I suppose I thought I saw a bit of me in Yang."

"Looks like I'm not the only one whom sees that as well," Glynda replied with a small grin.

 **(At the Xiao Long/Rose home...)**

"Aaaahhh... this is so nice..." Ruby said lazily as she relaxed in tub, every sore muscle in her body finally relaxing after long, grueling session. Despite the soreness, she couldn't deny that she was enjoying watching all her hard work pay off. She was the 'fastest in the gym' and even managed to make a bit of a name for herself in the amateur ring with 15 wins, 11 KO's and not a single loss. She wasn't old enough to enter the Pro-Ring just yet, but all she had to do was wait for another six months before she turned sixteen and boom she was good to go. "But for big sis though, she'll probably get into the pro-stage pretty easily." She wasn't jealous, far from it. Yang seemed to have finally found the sport that let her be herself, and if getting into Professional Boxing helped, then Ruby would support her all the way. "..." When the word 'jealous' came back into her mind, she looked down and blushed a bit.

At fifteen and a half, Ruby was by all means a very pretty girl, the extra tone in her arms, legs and abdominal muscles certainly made her look better. But if there was anything that Ruby was a bit jealous about when it came to her bigger sister, it was her... ahem, _shapeliness_. Being leaner wasn't a bad thing, it's just that she wished she was as well-figured as Yang. "Shh!" Ruby was brought out of her thoughts by the sudden sharp sound in the next room. Curious, Ruby quickly finished up and got dressed, quickly peeked into Yang's room (where the sound came from, obviously). To Ruby's surprise, Yang was shadow-boxing, something Yang had never actually done before.

What further surprised the girl was how Yang actually seemed to be focused on defense. Her head quickly slipped out of the way from imaginary punches and her own punches fired off, though something looked wrong. "Come on, it doesn't feel the same," She muttered to herself, stopping and looking at her fists. Ruby saw what she meant, Yang's punches were still quick and powerful, but they looked... shorter, for some reason. "Try putting your shoulders into the punch," Ruby blurted out, earning a quick shriek from Yang. "God Ruby, don't scare me like that!" Yang laughed as she fell on her ass, Ruby laughed with her for a while. "Wait," Yang said after they were done. "What was that you said a few seconds ago?"

"...?" She tilted her head, confused before she remembered. "Oh! I was just saying to put your shoulders into it, and your legs and hips too for good measure." Yang nodded and stood up, going back into that squared-off stance. She started to bob and weave her head quickly. When she threw her right cross out casually, I raised my eyebrows: it was faster. Even Yang was caught off guard before she grinned and got even more into it, punches firing off with better range and smoothness until... "Aah!" Yang froze in place as she grunted in pain, a hand quickly going to her lower back. "You should probably get some rest, you've also been working hard today. Overwork ain't gonna help your muscles," I said.

"O-ow. Yeah, you're right," Yang winced as she flopped down into her bed. "Thanks for the tip though Ruby. G'night."

"Night sis."

 **(Vale University, Lunchtime...)**

As per usual, people gave Yang Xiao Long a wide berth when her had a grumpy look on her face. Normally if she had that look, then it meant that someone trying to mess with her normally equals that someone getting thrown ass-first out of a window. Literally. No, seriously, there were currently three broken windows that had yet to be repaired. Not to mention, lunch hadn't been good either, mostly salad stuff. 'I need some friggin' steak dammit!' She raged internally. She couldn't even get into contact with Weiss or Blake, both of whom attended University with her, but what sucked for today was that Weiss was taking extra accounting lessons (of course she was) while Blake was currently doing business research for a project.

"Ugh, couldn't even get much sleep last night, body's so damn sore," She muttered to herself as she walked over to her favorite place in the campus: the garden. It was rather simple with white flowers, some trees, and a handful of benches, but it was one of the few things that let her relieve some stress. She sighed as she sat down, still sore but tension had already begun to leave her body. 'Got another thirty minutes to just lay back and relax...' She sighed, leaning back and dozing off slightly as she took in the clean air. 'It's only been over a month, but boxing is really helping me,' She thought to herself. 'I haven't punched anyone outside of the gym ever since I started, I feel even more energetic when I'm not sore, and I've been getting stronger. Heh, no wonder Ruby enjoys it so much.'

She hummed to herself a simple tune as her thoughts idled back to the previous night when Ruby had given her that small tip about using her shoulders, she felt power explode through her arm. Naturally, her left went out further thanks to her left foot being in front, but the power felt almost the same, like she had two right arms. 'Eh, that sounds kinda weird,' She chuckled to herself. "Ooh, look who it is!" Instantly Yang's mood turned black. "What do you want Cardin?" Cardin Winchester, captain of the football team, bully, dickhead, A+ student in chemistry... and Yang's Ex-boyfriend. Shocking, isn't it? Now you might be asking to yourself, 'How in the hell did that happen?' Well, the answer lies in a series of (unfortunate) events starting off with Yang having been too easily swooned by someone as big, muscular and good-looking as Cardin (let's be honest, if he were a nice guy, he'd have girls all over him).

Things seemed to be going pretty well for a while, but it was pretty clear that Cardin had only ever liked the physical looks of Yang, never who she was. It took quite some time for Yang to figure that out as well, but by then, it was too late. "So, you got that homework I needed you to do?" Yang scowled and reached into her bag, tossing Cardin's binder at him. Opening it, he quickly looked through it to make sure it was actually done before he grinned at her. "Thank's sweetheart." Yang put her hands in her pockets to hide her clenched fists. "Oh go fuck off Winchester," She spat at him.

"A-A-Ah, language Yang!" He shot back smoothly, wagging his index finger at her. "We wouldn't want your attitude to get you into a situation where you'd be humiliated for life, now would we?" It was a surprise that Yang's teeth didn't shatter from how hard she clenched them as he brought out his phone. "You'd do well to remember that I can easily ruin you with what I've got on this."

He put it away and walked up to her, that god-awful smirk on his face as he walked around her as if he was admiring a trophy. His trophy. The thought of it made Yang's blood boil with rage and shame. "Mmm, the jeans look good on you too," He leered, brave enough to reach out and actually grope her. Yang's heartbeat was thrumming in her ears, pure violence and adrenaline coursing through her legs and arms, screaming at her to turn around and knock Cardin's spark out. His hand drifted up her waist and went to her jaw, forcing Yang to look at him. "It's been some time since I got to feel your hair..." He said as his other hand began to reach out. That crossed a line.

Yang's jab shot out into Cardin's bicep with a *BANG* his entire body stumbling back. "Touch my hair and you die," He said in a rather even, but death-laced voice. For one thing, Cardin was shocked. He didn't even see her arm move, but his bicep felt like someone had shot him there. Hell, he found that lifting his arm was like trying to lift up a block of iron. When he looked up, he was spooked: Yang's eyes had turned a shade of bloody-red as they bore down on him. His pride returned and he scowled, taking out his phone and opening it up. "Looks like asking nicely isn't cutting it anymore, I'll just-!"

"Do it, I dare you." She said with a dead serious tone, holding up a fist. At that, Cardin got mad, there was no way that this girl was physically stronger than him, no way in hell. "Just who the hell do you think you are!?" He roared, rearing a hand back to slap her full force. Yang stood there and watched it, clamping her teeth shut and bracing herself. The slap echoed with a *POW*, Yang's knees buckling as she took a blow from someone at least fifty pounds heavier than her. Cardin could only stare as her head turned back to look at him, her eyes still blood-red. "That all you got, Winchester? Plus, you left something very important very vulnerable."

She held up the phone that she managed to quickly snatch from him before she crushed it in her hand, folding it in half as it bent and the glass screen shattered. "Now you're mine," She finally snapped and swung a massive right hook into Cardin's face with her signature shotgun-like *BANG*, his entire body twisting before he fell in a crumpled heap. At least, that's what should have happened. "Yang, please don't!" She felt someone grab her arm before she could swing, someone else hugging her waist and pulling her back. "Let go of me, I'll fucking kill him! Yang roared as she continued to step forward, Cardin slowly backing away. "Don't you go anywhere asshole, stay right there so I can beat you to death!"

"Stop it, please!" The voice finally got to Yang and she looked at who was holding her back. Weiss' heels were digging into the ground as she did her best to hold Yang's waist, while Blake had to wrap almost her entire body around Yang's arm. Yang finally managed to get a hold of herself, her breathing turning from quick and shallow to deeper and slower, the red slowly fading from her vision and her struggling ceasing. When she looked back to where Cardin was, he had left quite quickly. "Yang, are you okay?" Blake asked, looking at the reddening mark left on Yang's face. "Why did he hit you?" Yang was surprised at the look on anger on Blake's face. 'Huh, she looks hot like that.'

"Yang, hello, you there?" Weiss asked, waving her hand in front of her face and snapping Yang out of it. "Yeah, I'm fine. He was just... an old problem that I managed to solve." She gave the two of them a slightly annoyed look. "Why'd you stop me from hitting him?"

"Yang, if you actually hit him you'd tear his jaw off," Weiss said bluntly.

"... who said I was aiming for his face?" Yang shot back weakly, a small grin on her face. "Anyway, it seems that this thing's been cleared up pretty well," Yang changed the subject as quickly as possible. "I guess I owe you two a thanks for stopping me from killing Cardin's ass." Blake chuckled, "Don't mention it." The three of them left, managing to chat casually. What Yang failed to see was the broken phone that was supposed to be on the ground, gone.

 **(Friday Evening, back at the Gym...)**

"Excellent Yang, don't stop weaving your head!" Ozpin commanded, "I still need you to move your feet as well!" The second Yang had come back after five days, Ozpin was drilling her with stuff related to the new style that Yang was using. They'd been doing mitt-work for well-over thirty minutes, sweat dripping off of Yang from the constant weaving, weight-shifting and legwork. "Now, add a right-cross!" Instantly, Yang recalled the advice that Ruby had given to her, twisting her hips and putting her legs into it. An intense ***BANG*** ripped through the air and Ozpin's entire arm was blown back, the mitt flying right off his hand. Ozpin grunted in surprise and pain as he fell to a knee, his right arm going limp.

"H...holy crap, you alright Coach?!" Yang panicked, checking on him. "I... believe my arm is dislocated," he spoke tensely, trying to hide the amount of pain he was in. Glynda quickly rushed onto the scene, standing to Ozpin's right and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Clench your teeth," She advised.

"I know, we've done this before anyway," He replied.

She tensed up and quickly shoved his arm right back into its socket with a loud pop that made Yang cringe, Ozpin grinding his teeth as Glynda did that. He rolled his shoulder and nodded, walking back to the fallen mitt and putting it on again. "Let's continue."

"Ozpin, please," Glynda sighed, exasperated.

"Yeah Coach... it's fine if you want to sit out," She said slowly, "I did just nearly rip your arm off."

"Nonsense," He said casually as he put his mitts back up. "Tis' but a scratch."

"A _scratch_?! You could've lost your arm!" Glynda said almost hysterically, nearly pulling her hair out. "Oh I've had worse," He countered. "Now... let's continue Yang. You've got me too excited." The tone in his voice and the glee in his eyes surprised, pumped up, and slightly disturbed her. She actually just dislocated his arm with a punch. The thought itself fired her up: just how far can she go in boxing? How good can she get? She put her hands up and said, "Please!"

The two of the practically rushed at each other, Yang's head slipping under a quick jab that scratched her cheek before weaving under a razor right hook, an open mitt on Ozpin's liver. 'Liver-Blow! Step in, twist your hips and legs as you swing your left hook to maximize the force!' Ozpin's word's echoed. Yang did exactly that, her fist again making a ***BANG*** as it exploded into the mitt. Ozpin had managed to leap away in time to minimize the impact, but by god what an impact it was. He was sure that it could've lifted him off of his feet if he didn't jump. The went at it again for five minutes straight, barely any rest for the two of them as Yang's punches made their signature shotgun-like sounds with each connection to the mitts.

Ruby watched in complete awe and pride as her sister took up her advice without fail, each punch loaded with the twist of her hips and the spring of her legs just like she said. Blake observed with a keen eye and a smirk. 'Looks like Ozpin's finally found someone who's really special.' She chuckled to herself lightly before going back to skipping. 'I don't mind. Dad's been my coach since day one, and even if that means that I have to leave Beacon, then I'm sure that Yang and I will meet again as pros in the ring.'

"Now, Uppercut!" Ozpin threw the command out so suddenly that Yang just reacted to it while she was moving in. With her tight guard, she lightly dropped her right hand and then shot it up, her hip going into the punch rather than away from it. The result was less like a shotgun going off and more like a bomb exploding, Ozpin's mitt flying off of his hand again as his arm was thrown skyward. This time, the punch really did lift him off of his feet before he landed on the seat of his pants just as the buzzer went off. Ozpin and Yang just stood there for a while, panting as they were both drenched in sweat, but they were grinning from ear to ear. "S...sorry about that," She said after a moment, taking off her gloves and holding a hand out. Ozpin laughed and took it, Yang hauling him up with a great deal of difficulty. She was pretty worn out after all. "No need to say sorry Yang. Go rest now, you've been working hard for well over forty-five minutes now."

She literally sprawled out on the bench as she gulped at water, draining the bottle quickly. Ruby ran up to her and gave her a high-five. "Yang, that was amazing! You did all those punches using exactly what I told you!" Yang ginned and gave Ruby a tired thumbs up. "Yeah... those punches felt amazing. Thank's little sis'." As they were talking, two people had walked in. The first was a girl with long, straight black hair and pale skin, wearing a blue-hued white jacket, blue jeans and white boots. The second was a similar-looking girl was shorter hair and a red shirt, black jeans and red sneakers. Both of them had similar builds, slim but inherently agile-looking with well toned arms and legs.

Finally came in a man with a black suit with shoes, red tie and black shades (despite being inside). His hair was neatly trimmed along with a full, well groomed beard and mustache. "Ah, Junior," Ozpin said as he walked up to him. "Oz, been a while eh?" The man asked gruffly but with a smile, shaking his hand. "Jeez Ozzy, you're soaking wet!"

"Just had a tough session is all," He replied casually. "Now drop the formalities and tell me why you're here."

Junior chuckled, "Always straight to the point with you huh? Alright, my girl Miltia has been looking to increase her experience and put some lien in her wallet before the Vale National Champ Tournament comes around next year. She's in the Junior-Middleweight class just to inform you."

"Well, I only have two girls in the gym right now who are of that weight-class. We have Blake Belladonna over there on the skip-rope and Yang Xiao Long on the bench. Granted, the latter doesn't have a professional license-"

"I want her," The red-clad girl said, pointing at Yang, Ozpin shooting her a hard look. "She doesn't have a license yet."

"Then get her one. Besides, she may be new, but the experience of losing may help her." While Ozpin wasn't one to openly show an excess of emotion, he got heated when it came to the mention of his fighters loosing to someone as cocky as the girl standing in front of him. "...Alright then, when's the match? I assume that you have a stage set Junior." The bearded man smiled. More easy money for him and his own boxers, especially if it was a newbie. He knew that Ozpin hated to have his fighters disrespected. "West-Vale Boxing Arena, first under-card fight in the next four months. I'll tell the promoters that I've got a fight for Miltia." With that, they walked out with smirks on their faces. Ozpin stood there for some time contemplating whether her made the right choice. He was about to run his hand through his hair before he realized something. His hand was shaking. It was shaking the same way it always did after he worked with Raven all those years ago.

He clenched his fist and thought, 'This time... I'll turn this talent given to me into a real boxer, the right way!'

"Yang," He said. "It's time to get you a Professional License. You have a fight coming your way and I want you to be in top shape." Yang, Blake and Ruby were all shocked, but it was Yang who recovered the fastest, her face turning serious. "When do we start Coach?"

* * *

 **(A.N: Chapter 2 and things are getting real really quickly. Also, of course I'm basing Yang's style off of Ippo and Mike Tyson, and I think it's the most fitting for Yang's character as well. Either way, the next chapter to come out will be published after the newest Into The Dark chapter. Peace out and enjoy!)**


	3. Leg day is best (?) day

**(A.N: Hello again! So, yeah, it's probably been a really long time since a chapter's been updated, and I'll just chalk that up to writer's block. Thank God that's ended, because now we can get into the new chapter. Happy 2018 and Enjoy!)**

* * *

 **Hajime no Yang: Fists of Flame**

 **Chapter 3**

 **Never skip leg day! Ever!**

* * *

"C-Coach, if I can ask...?" Yang said with a strained voice. "Something wrong?"

"...If my arms are the strongest parts of me, why am I working my legs so hard instead of increasing my punching power? I'd really knock someone out in one hit if I kept training for the next three months." She asked. To clarify, she had her back against the wall and was in a sitting position, a thirty-pound ball resting in her lap. Oh, and there was no chair to speak of: she had been in this position for the last ten minutes, and her legs felt like they were going to fall right off, or straight-up explode. Ozpin cleared his throat and said, "Power is rooted in the legs, distributed by the hips, and is equally proportionate to one's mass. We don't need to focus on increasing your strength for now, so we simply need to maintain it. You already have more than enough K.O power, but your legs are much weaker than the rest of you."

"W-well, yeah that's true..." She agreed, her voice trembling. "But what's th-the point of strong legs in a fist-fight?"

"Well my dear," He paused and quickly hit Yang's thigh with his cane, a sharp _*CRACK*_ echoing and Yang gritting her teeth. She had tried to slowly inch her way up to relieve the pressure on her legs as Ozpin was distracted, but that plan clearly didn't work. "No cheating now, you only have one minute to go!" He barked. "Anyway, boxing isn't solely about arm-strength or swinging your fists about. Strong legs mean stronger punches, the ability to move around the ring more, and if worst come to worst, it gives you the flexibility to absorb damage. During your fight with Blake for example, you took many, _many_ strikes: which part of you shook the most?"

Even though the blonde was in blinding agony from the previous smack with the cane, she thought back to that fight, and was surprised. Her legs shook now the _exact_ same way they shook then. "H-huh... my legs. I was fighting to stay standing, and- _ouch_ -my legs tensed up to keep me on my feet." Ozpin nodded, a knowing smile on his face. "That is why for the duration of training sessions, we'll be focusing on legwork... and your newfound style." Yang's eyes lit up in excitement (or as excited as someone could be when they've been doing a weighted wall-sit for a long time). "That style which you're using is very rarely used by anyone in today's boxing world, because very few have the capacity or talent to use it. It's defensive and offensive capabilities are immensely difficult to grasp as it largely requires the legs to handle the constant shifting of your weight, and a strong lower back to deal with the rapid twists of one's upper-body for slipping as well as punches. I had this sneaking suspicion ever since you had begun to regularly come to the gym, and it seems I was right: you have naturally powerful arms, along with a firm back to boot."

The honest compliment made Yang grin a bit before Ozpin rapped her on her other leg, her expression quickly changing again. "Don't let that get to your head Xiao Long," He snapped, though she knew it wasn't harsh. "You still have ways to go before you can handle truly professional-level boxers with those weak legs of yours." Glancing at his watch, he barked, "Time's up, get back to your roadwork. I want eight sets of four-hundred meter sprints done within twelve minutes, and if you can't do that, then you have one hundred squats to do." Yang stared almost dumbly at him. She had just come from doing a torture-like wall sit, and now he was asking her to do _sprints again_? This was the third time this session! What, was he trying to have her legs actually explode?

"You've already wasted fifteen seconds staring at me, I suggest you get moving." Without another word, Yang managed to hobble out of the gym as quickly as she could. Ozpin's threats of extra exercises were far from empty, she once had to go through something similar when she failed to punch the bag a certain number of times, and she had to do fifty _slow_ push-ups. Even with her innately powerful arms, she could barely lift them afterwards. Despite the threat looming overhead, she grinned and started to pump her legs as fast as they could go. Ozpin of course sat outside the gym on the bench, watching to make sure Yang didn't cheat. Granted, he was fairly sure that she wouldn't attempt to do something like that, even with the slight cheat she attempted to pull off barely a minute ago. She was a driven soul, always rising to the challenge even when it seemed impossible.

At the sound of quick footfalls, he quickly looked to see Weiss having come back from her own roadwork, the girl sweaty and completely red. Ozpin quickly took a small bottle of water out of his pocket and tossed it at her, the girl's hand snapping out and catching it with ease. "Thank you Coach," She said after she downed the cold drink in seconds, siting down next to him. "...So, is your father...?" He started after a bit. She nodded, a grin on her face. "Yes, he's still livid, and I don't mind it that way." Ozpin chuckled at that. Weiss Schnee, being the daughter of the second richest man on earth whom owned the company which was responsible for at least 90 percent of the world's natural mineral distribution and collection, was very, very unhappy. You'd hope that money could buy her happiness, yet with a self-centered twat like her father, a prick of her brother, and a drunk like her mother (granted, her sister was still quite nice), there was much frustration back in her home in Atlas.

She had solved the problem by applying to Vale University, and getting in no thanks to her excellent grades, moving far away from the north and eventually came across boxing, something she had taken to quite nicely. When she wasn't studying, she was dancing around opponents and striking them with precise blows that rattles anyone in her way, her professional record being 7 wins, 2 by knockout and 1 loss from her second fight. Due to her rather small frame and lack of brute force, she made up for it in perfect footwork and surgical accuracy with her snapping punches. Despite the loss, she had made quite a name for herself in the Pro-ring so far with her style which was always exciting to watch.

"You're still receiving financial support for your schooling though?" Ozpin asked seriously, to which Weiss nodded. "What about every-day things, such as food and clothing." She paused at that. "Weiss... if you need me to support you then all you need to do is ask-"

"No, please Coach," She said quickly, "If anything... I'd like to work with you in a part-time job. I want to earn my keep." Ozpin raised his eyebrows at the surprisingly pleasant request. He smiled and held a hand out, "Well then, I don't see why not." Weiss was ecstatic for a moment before she fixed her face to look as calm as possible, something that nearly made Ozpin laugh before she shook his hand. "Thank you for accepting me into your Gym."

"*Pant*... *Pant*... One...!" A wheezing voice said from a few meters away. Ozpin looked up and raised a brow at Yang, who was a sweaty mess, feet dragging limply and arms flopping at her sides. "Yang you won't be able to finish in time like that, you'd better pick up the pace!" She nodded loosely and continued to run (?) as fast as she could. "She's certainly determined for her first match," Weiss said with a small smile. "I assume her application for her professional record went well?" Ozpin nodded, of course. "Her medical examination was perfect, she's already in good condition seeing as she managed to handle all those consecutive sprints fairly well. I expected her to tire out in the first set, but her stamina has been improving greatly as well ever since she joined."

"Her natural physical talent is _very_ high," Weiss agreed. "It'll certainly be interesting to watch Yang fight professionally. I personally think that she'll win with ease, especially considering you're teaching her the Peek-A-Boo style." Ozpin raised his hand sternly, making her pause. "Don't assume something like that Weiss. Just because she takes to the style naturally and she has a decent amount of strength doesn't mean she'll win. Junior's fighters are sneaky, smart and rarely go for a knockout, willing to stay back and earn points to win. If they pull something unexpected, I'm worrying that Yang might not be able to cope with it." Still, he couldn't help but smile. "But something else tells me that I'm going to enjoy Yang in the ring."

 **(Over at Junior's Gym...)**

"Come on, is that it!?" Miltia said cockily as her gloved fist cracked across her sparring-partner's face and sending him to the canvas (yes, she spars with males). "Alright, who's next?" She asked, cracking her neck and pounding her gloves together. "I think that's enough sis'," Melanie chuckled. "Still, I want you to stick to your jab more often, you aren't using it enough and you're relying on your right hand too much."

"It's my bread and butter," She argued lightly, "Of course I'm reliant on it. I haven't met anybody who stays standing after taking one of my rights, and it's gonna be the same when I fight that Xiao-Long girl. It's gonna be another good 3000$ in our purse the boss said."

"Good pay or not, I'm still telling you to start using your left more. Remember, her trainer is Ozpin, so she's not going to be that easy to put down even if this _is_ her first official match," She warned sternly. "Besides, we have no idea as to what her style is or how we can exploit it. So I'll tell you this: be careful, don't rush in to throw a massive right like you normally do." Miltia rolled her eyes and muttered, "Whatever. Alright, I've been kept waiting for too long! Someone get in here before I drag a random person in!" In utter fear, another poor soul managed to drag their feet into the ring. Completely contrary to what her sister had advised her on, she dashed in and swung her hand forward, another loud *POW* echoing through the gym that made everyone wince.

Said punching-bag had his lights knocked out of him and his body crumpled to the floor, Miltia standing over him with a sadistic grin on her face. Melanie sighed and shook her head. "Yang Xiao Long, you better bring your A-game to this match, because if you don't you're boxing career is going to be very, very short," Melanie said under her breath with a small smirk of her own.

 **(Back at Beacon Gym...)**

"But, coach," Yang said worriedly, "Weiss is almost twenty pounds lighter than I am! If I hit her, she'll definitely be going to the hospital." Weiss raised her eyebrow and gave Yang a cheeky look. "You'll actually have to hit me first Yang." Still Yang was a fair bit worried, and for good reason: weight-classes existed to make things fair. "You heard Weiss," Ozpin said simply, "Just get in the ring with her and fight. Both of you have already been worn out by exercises so neither of you can hot that hard. Besides, you'll be going for one round and then we stop for the day."

"Oh... that doesn't seem so bad," Yang said as she put her headgear on. The two of them climbed into the ring and got into their respective stances, Yang with a tight guard as her head began to shift and move. Weiss on the other hand kept her right hand close to her face but her left hand out slightly, bouncing on her feet. "Box!" Ozpin yelled as the buzzer went off. Even though she was tired, Yang's blood began to race and her excitement rose as she made quick steps forward. Weiss did the exact opposite, almost staying on the spot as she silently watched Yang as she barely shuffled forward. 'Start with your jab, get a hold of the pace and work from there!' Yang thought as her left shot out. Weiss quickly leaned back, putting her shoulder in the way of the jab. 'Good, she's off balance, follow up with a cross-!' White suddenly flashed across Yang's eyes and she stumbled back, legs shaking as tried to regain her balance.

She looked at Weiss just in time to see her scowl as her left drew back. 'God help me, that was a jab? I didn't even see it coming!' She shook her head and realized that there wasn't much damage at all, it just stung. 'Never-mind that, keep moving my head and hit her before she hits me,' She stepped in again and began almost madly bobbing and weaving her head in a quick, sharp fashion. Weiss responded with those same jabs again, shocking Yang as they seemed to shoot out like bullets fired from a handgun, some of them scraping her headgear and forcing her back. "Yang, you're moving your head too wide!" Ozpin yelled, " Shift your feet and keep your movements small!"

It got through to Yang, who nodded and started to shift her feet with every slip and weave, keeping herself more compact. As Weiss went for another jab, Yang read her rhythm and quickly stepped in, left hook leading to the body. It never connected: Weiss' eyes seemed to flash before she stepped forward, her right hand poised like she was going to throw a baseball. Instead, her gloved fist crashed right into Yang's jaw. Yang's eyes glazed over for a brief moment as it looked like she was about to drop to the floor. Out of nowhere, she swung her right hand back at at Weiss in an overhand hook, tight and compact. Weiss eyes went wide as she barely managed to lean back and quickly pivot out of the way, her left shoulder taking the brunt of the blow and nearly knocking her off her feet.

Looking back at Yang, Weiss was surprised to find out that Yang was still very lucid, though shaky as she got back into her peek-a-boo stance. 'Junior middle-weight or not, that should've been more than enough to knock her out,' Weiss thought. 'Granted... she is very resilient. Even if it was my Perfect Cross, I still don't have enough knockout power to take someone like her down in one blow, no matter how precise it is. I'll just have to wear her down as much as I can.' Yang herself was quite hesitant to rush in as well, taking a bit of time to think and watch Weiss. 'Jeez, had we been in the same weight-class, that cross would've knocked me flat on my ass. She's not exactly an aggressive counter-fighter like Blake, but she's more of a minimalist, waiting for the right moment and the right area to strike.' Yang grinned again as she dashed forward. 'This is getting exciting!'

For the next while, the two girls fought it out with immense gusto, Yang keeping a fair distance and sticking to her jab-cross combo while Weiss danced around the punches with her feet, unlike Blake whom dodged with eye-catching upper-body movement. Several times, Weiss managed to catch Yang with her arrow-like jab just as she moved into the perfect range before dancing away from Yang's follow-up cross, something everyone in the gym knew to get out of the way from. She didn't always land though. Yang had started to get used to Weiss' range and rhythm, quickly slipping some jabs and trying to step in quickly, managing to graze her with her sharp hooks.

Still, what gave Yang the most trouble of trying to hit Weiss was trying to catch up to her. With all the training that she was doing, she was incredibly tired and her body still felt like lead. Not to mention, she was starting to get slower, and with her lack of foot-work, she couldn't step into her best range to hit Weiss. The hits were starting to pile up on Yang, who could only slip, bob and weave as many blows as she could. "Time!" Ozpin yelled, both of them stopping in their tracks. "Weiss, you need to use the ball of your feet, not your heel, when you pivot to get directly out of the way, and you need to tense your shoulder rather than just relying on your legs and waist to throw your Perfect Cross. Yang, your dashing-speed is decent, but you need to use the spring of your toes as well."

"My... toes?" Yang asked, confused.

"Being able to utilize your big toes for balance as well as being able to add an extra spring in your dash will be vital to your style. Like I said before, the Peek-a-Boo Style greatly relies not just on a strong upper body, but also powerful legs and feet."

"Wait, it's called the Peek-a-Boo?" Yang asked, laughing. "Well hey, whatever it's name is, you've taught me one hell of a unique style." The brawler paused as both Weiss and and Ozpin looked at her with knowing grins. "Weiss, you can rest up. Yang, come with me." Yang followed him into Ozpin's office, a sparsely furnished room with a window, a simple table, a desk, a television, and finally pictures of old boxers from many years past. "Hold on for a moment." He opened a cupboard and rummaged through it, finding a DVD and putting it into the player, turning the TV on. "Sometimes I forget that you weren't born into boxing, and that you didn't grow up not knowing about the greats. It's time that I showed you arguably one of the most dangerous heavyweight Champions to ever exist, taught by the creator of the Peek-a-Boo style."

"There were others?" Yang asked, surprised. Ozpin only smiled and gestured towards the TV.

Curious, Yang took a seat and watched as the title of the DVD popped up, ' _ **IRON MIKE TYSON, GREATEST HITS**_ '. When it revealed the fighter after a cheesy intro of boxing-clips and credits, Yang's eyes went wide. The light-brown dude was _ridiculously buff,_ his upper-body with biceps the size of her head and a chiseled body that looked like you could grind meat on it, with a back that was a wall of rippling muscle. His thighs were also massive, quads as hard as stone and bulging calves that looked like your foot would break if your tried to kick them. "God, look at the size of him!" Yang couldn't help but mutter in shock. When it actually got to his first fight however, she saw that wasn't the case. "I... take that back, he's kinda short." He wasn't that short, standing almost a half-foot shorter than his opponent, whom was fairly tall.

He picked up his fists in an all-too familiar stance, his stare menacing as his head started to shift in quick, precise motions. "Holy-!" Yang started, surprised at just how fast he was. His opponent threw a long, quick jab, yet he slipped under it with such ease and... *BOOM*. Yang cringed at the sound as an uppercut nearly blew his opponent's head clean off, the man crumpling like a sodden rag. Where her punches sounded like a shotgun, his sounded like a bomb going off. "...Is he dead?" Yang asked. Ozpin only smiled. The next match came on and this one lasted at _most_ twenty seconds longer. Tyson had an opponent backed against the ropes, and though he threw a fast, ripping right hook, Tyson expertly weaved under it and followed up with a left to the body, the man almost crumpling on his fist before he collapsed.

"Watch closely on this one," Ozpin advised as the next match came up. Again, Tyson dashed forward as he usually did with his incredible speed, the other man forcibly backing up and throwing low left hooks to try and catch him off guard, but Tyson expertly weaved under them with quick shifts of his feet and head, his feet almost bursting off the ground as he leaped and smashed his fist into his opponent's face, knocking him down in a single devastating blow. Yang was quick to recognize the movements of the monstrous puncher: they were exactly what she was doing. Well... more like what she was to be aiming for. The way he shifted his weight was absolutely flawless, his rotations into his hooks and uppers were deadly, and his speed was terrifying for how bulky he was. Then of course, there was his raw power.

"There were other Champions before him who used the Peek-a-Boo style, like Jose Torres and Floyd Patterson, but the one who truly brought the style to its absolute peak was this monster of a man. 50 wins, 44 by knockouts, and 6 losses. He became the youngest ever heavyweight champion many years back... but that's besides the point, we need to get you to that stage as soon as possible. Once we get your basics near that level, we can work from there." Yang's grin was massive as she leaned back and thought for a bit, imagining herself with that kind of explosive speed and power. "Geez... Mike Tyson, is he still doing boxing today?" She asked, excited to see another match. To her disappointment, Ozpin shook his head. "He retired from boxing many years back, and I think he may actually be coaching and promoting for boxing as well. Anyway," He got up and took the DVD out and put it in its cartridge before going back to his desk, taking out three more.

To Yang's surprise, he handed them to her. "These three are about the fights of Patterson, Torres and Tyson," He said as he pointed to them. "This one contains Tyson's training videos, and what you can do to help improve yourself outside the gym."

"W-wow... thanks coach!" She said, genuinely glad to have them. He held up a stern hand, stopping her from saying anything else. "Notice, I am not asking you to start over-training yourself, that'll have the exact opposite effect of what we're trying to achieve. Do you understand?" Yang nodded, a serious look on her face. "You got it boss." Ozpin smiled. "Now go. We're done for today, so rest up. The first month is done, so things will only get harder from here. Hang tough, and you'll be ready when the match comes around."

Yang grinned and shook his hand and rushed out the door. Ozpin chuckled and shook his head at her enthusiasm, quite unlike what Raven had been. When he looked back at the couch, he scowled slightly: there was a large sweaty imprint where Yang had sat. "...and I just had that cleaned too," He sighed, grabbing a spray-bottle full of leather-cleaner.

 **(Later, at the Xiao-Long/Rose household...)**

"Welcome home Yang!" Ruby called out as Yang came in. "Hey lil' sis', check out what the Coach gave me today!" She showed Ruby the old DVDs and Ruby got starry-eyed. "Oooh, you've got the old Peek-a-Boo greats! Those'll be fun to watch," She said excitedly. "Still though, let's eat first. I whipped up some dinner before you got home, and I figure you're gonna need it after how much you're sweating." They both laughed and eat through all of Ruby's food in a matter of minutes, both young girls eating voraciously. Yang had opted to take a quick bath before they decided to have a seat and watch the tapes, and that's what she did, soaking in the hot water to soothe her aching legs and back. She collapsed onto the couch just as Ruby put in another tape for them to watch.

"So you mean to say that you've been doing boxing for this long and you haven't searched up one of these guys?" Ruby asked.

"Whadda ya want me to search up? Fighters who have a really tight guard that's named after a game for exciting babies?"

"...You have a valid point." The two sisters ended up watching the tapes late into the night, cheering for the fighters at times from sheer hype, to the point where they fell asleep, snoring like engines. Taiyang had come back late from work, and he couldn't help but grin at the sight (and sound) of the two of them sleeping. Looking up at the TV, he raised a brow. "Mike Tyson huh? Good choice Oz." He chuckled as he placed a blanket on the two girls before going into his own room and sleeping, thoughts drifting to dreams of roses and ravens.

* * *

 **(A.N: I don't own Mike Tyson (he'd probably own my ass), nor do I own anything from Hajime No Ippo. Peace out!)**


	4. Calm before the storm

**(A.N: Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen to Hajime no Yang. Get your gloves, ready your fighting spirit, because the first boxing-match of the story will happen soon!)**

* * *

 **Hajime No Yang: Fists of Flame**

 **Chapter 4**

 **The calm before the storm...**

* * *

 **(The Day before the fight, 9am...)**

"Again, jab and step in!" Yang was sparring with Blake once again. just to ensure that she was in peak condition. Blake was also in naturally good condition, but she was absolutely shocked at how much Yang had developed over the course of four months. Her step-ins were incredibly fast, being able to cover that distance in a mere moment. The twist of her legs into her punches were tight and packed with Yang's entire body-weight behind them, Blake feeling like sledgehammers were pounding her through her guard even if they were doing some light sparring. "Good, liver-blow into and uppercut!" On that, Blake quickly covered up her liver with her elbow just as Yang's punch rocked into her, trapping her in the corner before Yang did something Blake had never seen before. Blake had been expecting Yang to follow up with her right hand, but instead, her hip shifted into Blake as she threw another arching left, faster than Blake had expected.

She swayed back on pure instinct, Yang's glove ripping through the air where Blake's face had once been, blowing the hair from her face. Still, Blake took a chance and tried to counter with a quick chopping right, catching Yang on the top of her head before she managed to get away. "Time!" Ozpin yelled, both of the girls stopping just as they were about to rush at each other once more. "Looks like all of that training seemed to pay off somewhat. How are you feeling Yang? It's been three light rounds, but-" Ozpin stopped as both he and Blake took in Yang's condition. She was looking at her clenched glove, a look of surprise on her face. "I... I don't even feel that winded!" A grin split her face as she lightly bounced on her toes in excitement, throwing quick jabs. "Wow, it feels like I could go for another seven rounds! All that stamina training really paid off, not to mention, my legs feel like I could run a thousand miles too." She turned to Ozpin and nodded her head in what looked like a small bow. "Thank you Coach. Tomorrow, I'll make sure everything you taught me doesn't go to waste."

"I believe you. Now take a quick shower and get dressed, we're going to the weigh-in in an hour. You'll meet your opponent there too, so you should get an idea of what you'll be facing." Yang nodded eagerly and started to take off her gloves and headgear, slipping out of the ring and heading to the gym showers. "I'd like to join you, if you don't mind," Blake asked, Ozpin nodding his consent. The two of them had finished rather quickly, Blake walking out first dressed in jeans, black heeled boots and a white long-sleeved shirt, a black bow on the top of her head to hide her ears. Yang came out some handful of minutes later, no thanks to the high maintenance needed for her massive amount of golden locks, her own attire consisting of white sneakers, loose grey sweatpants and an orange t-shirt, bearing her well-toned arms and her noticeably curvy hips. "Let's go, shall we?" The two girls followed Ozpin out to the side of the gym, where a small light-green car was.

"I call shotgun," Blake said quickly, smirking at Yang.

"Ah, dammit! Fine, you called it first."

The drive to the West-Vale Boxing arena was fairly long, about forty-five minutes. Yang for once was actually silent, thinking about everything that she had been taught and had seen, coming up with a mental image of the fight. 'She likes to use her right cross a lot, slip under it and stop her with a stiff-jab, follow up with a right to the face and a left to the liver for good measure.' While she was thinking, she was unconsciously mimicking the movements, doing small slips and motions in tandem with her thoughts, something that didn't go unnoticed by both Ozpin and Blake, the two of them smiling. "So Yang," Ozpin asked after a few minutes, "How are you feeling right now? Any sharp pains anywhere, feel groggy or tired in any way?" Yang shook her head, a pleasant smile on her face. "Nope. Like I said before, I feel amazing. My body seems so light, I'm full of energy, and I feel like I can punch through a steel door."

"Don't actually try that," Blake said dryly.

Yang sighed in mock disappointment. "Fiiiiine, I won't."

"What about your weight? What's the last time you weighed yourself?" Yang thought for a bit, humming to herself. "Hmm... well, I last weighed myself about two weeks ago, right before the training camp ended, and I was at... 152 pounds, I think. Yeah, that was it." Yang understood why Ozpin was concerned about her weight: in boxing, fighters had to maintain, gain, or loose a certain amount of weight depending on the fight. Yang and her opponent being Jr. Middleweights had to maintain a weight of above 147 pounds and below 154 pounds, so going over this of course meant that you were unable to compete and the match was called off. The Blonde Bomber made to sure follow Ozpin's Nutrition Requirements as much as possible (aside from a handful of cheat-days). Even after the training-camp was over, she made sure to continue to work out lightly in order not to suddenly gain an excess of weight.

"I haven't eaten anything heavy this morning either Coach, so I should be just fine." Ozpin nodded, satisfied before he asked, "How are you feeling about the match itself?"

"...Kinda scared, not gonna lie," Yang chuckled nervously.

"That's good then," Blake spoke, "If you said that your weren't at all nervous, then you're either lying or totally insane. Fear keeps you on your toes and makes you just a bit stronger." Yang chuckled, that pretty much summed up how she was feeling. "Still though, I feel like I've got this too, I just need to get in there and do my best."

"I expect nothing less from you Xiao Long," Ozpin said as the car came to a stop, right in front of the West Vale Arena. "Come now, we're here." As they got out of the car, Yang breathed in the city air, not something that she was unfamiliar with, but it was still strange. Looking up at the massive building, her stomach erupted into butterflies, muscles tensing and her blood beginning to pump. She flinched when Blake put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "It's just the weigh-in Yang, no need to be so tense."

"Yeah..." She put on a shaky grin and and stuffed her hands into her pockets. "Yeah, you're right."

When they walked in, there wasn't too much to look at. Several ticket booths, squeaky-clean white halls, and finally one hall leading to the arena itself. The party of three walked down and made a few confusing turns, that only Blake and Ozpin seemed to be aware of before ending up in front of a door with the sign, 'Weigh-Ins, October 1st'.

"Blake, you go inside with her," He said, confusing Yang before he turned to her. "Men aren't allowed for the sake of privacy. Remember, these are the female weigh-ins. I have faith that you'll pass, Yang." She nodded, a bit more confident with the proud look Ozpin gave her before they walked in. There were dozens of fighters, ranging from tall and lanky, to big and bulky, to small and wily. Some spared Yang a glance before going back to warming up or stretching. "You'll have to wait for a minute or two, they're down to the last two middle-weight contenders," A nice, pretty girl with brown hair ending in orange tips advised. "Thanks." Blake and Yang sat down next to the girl as they waited for Yang's turn. Yang stared at the girl for a moment before she realized she knew her.

"Hold up, you're Coco 'Gatling-Gun' Adel, the Welterweight fighter prospect right?" Yang asked, striking up a conversation to cool her nerves. Plus, she was genuinely interested: Coco had earned her nickname because of her seemingly inability to stop punching. She had next to no actual defense, but her unrelenting offense might as well have been her defense. "7 wins, 5 KO's, no losses, right?" The girl nodded with a grin, the two of them shaking hands. "That'd be me. Never seen you before. You making your debut tomorrow?"

"Yup," Yang chuckled, "Kinda rattled by it."

"Oh please, it happens to everyone honey," Coco laughed. "Still, you look pretty tough, and you strike me as the type to hit hard, so you should do just fine so long as you keep a cool head when the time comes." The girl looked over to Blake, whom had her head buried in a book of course. "I've seen you a few times before. Blake Belladonna, one of the best prospects of the Jr. Middleweight division in Vale, you haven't fought that much like me, but you're waaay above the level of the boxers you've faced. I gotta say, you impress me." Blake being as humble as she was sent her a smile. "Thank you."

Coco turned back to Yang. "Not much of a talker, eh?"

"Nah, but she gets pretty loud with me, if you catch my drift."

Blake proceeded to lightly slap Yang in the cheek, her face beet-red as many others heard what the blonde had said turned to look at her with raised eyebrows and grins. Yang had the biggest, most unashamed smile on her face while Coco simply held an open hand up, high-fiving her. "Nice." She said while nodding her head. "W-wait, we're not...!" Blake choked up before the doors to the weigh-in room opened up again, two very familiar faces walking in. Instantly, the tension in the room spiked as Yang and Miltia locked eyes, both of them tensing up and ready to go right then and there. It wasn't as if they disliked each other (this was the first time they've met after all), but seeing an opponent in the flesh was almost always a bit stressful. Melanie was the one to walk up to Yang, the Blonde quickly standing up with clenched fists. She'd already been in more than enough brawls to have an idea when a fight could break out.

To her surprise, Melanie stuck an open hand out. "Pleasure to meet you, Yang." Yang relaxed slightly as she shook her hand, trying to stay cool. "...Same to you."

"Huh, I didn't strike you as the tall kind," Miltia scoffed, "But it seemed like you are the usual stupid blonde one." Blake quickly stood up and put a hand on Yang's shoulder, trying to stop her from walking forward but ultimately failing. "Goddammit Miltia, you just had to open your mouth," Melanie muttered, Blake looking at her in surprise, thinking that she'd spur her sister on. What surprised Blake even more was that Yang was no longer tense: she was entirely relaxed, a hand on her hip and that familiar cocky smirk on her face. "I didn't strike you as the short, annoying one. Damn, I know we're not too far apart in weight, but for my first opponent to be this small? Jeez, I might get disqualified if I accidentally fall on you." Miltia's eyebrows raised in shock, along with many other people's. She was normally quite an intimidating person, and Yang was the first to match her with that.

"...Heh, not bad Xiao Long," She said, a respectful nod. "But don't think idle talk is gonna get you to win tomorrow."

"You're on, little red." The two sat down on opposite ends of the room, occasionally glancing at each other. "Wow Yang, I'm impressed," Coco whispered with a nod of her own. "Eh, don't mention it. I'm simply the best when it comes to talking." Blake only rolled her eyes.

 **(A few minutes later...)**

They walked out of the room, Yang's face beaming with excitement. Ozpin was quietly waiting on a bench, lightly tapping his foot as he turned to Yang. "How was it?" He asked, already confident about the answer, if Yang's face already wasn't a dead giveaway. "She passed Coach," Blake spoke up, "At 153.8 pounds." Ozpin raised a brow as Yang blushed a bit, scratching her head. "...Okay, so I might've eaten a little too much breakfast this morning. Still, I passed right? We're good to go!"

"Indeed you are," The white-haired man chuckled, looking at his watch. "It's about to turn eleven. I'll give you two some time to wander about the city, so take care. Yang, I want you to eat, and eat well. Don't stuff yourself, but any extra bulk you can put on before the fight will certainly help. I'll be waiting at the front of the arena, you two have fun." Without another word, the two of them went out and walked the street randomly, Yang's hand in her pockets. "So, still feel the same about tomorrow?" Blake asked.

"Yup, more or less," Yang sighed and seemed to deflate a bit. "That confrontation with Miltia scared the hell outta me, I just grit my teeth and shot back." Blake raised a brow at that. "Yeah, I might seem all relaxed on the outside, but when it comes to stuff like that, I feel like I'm gonna shake outta my own skin."

"How... do you hide something like that?"

"Same way you hide your ears. Plain sight, and just a little sugar-coating. Works like a charm too." Blake curled up on herself slightly, a bit of shame coursing though her. "O-oh, sorry!" Yang said quickly, realizing that she said something wrong. "I'm not judging or anything, just making a comparison is all!"

"No, you aren't wrong," Blake sighed to herself. "I'm just... not ready to reveal who I am out in public yet. Y-You know, all the racism an what-not." Yang had known Blake long enough to tell when she was hiding something, and she suspected that she hid her Faunus traits for a deeper reason. She wasn't gonna try and pry though, that would be rude, even for her. Deciding to change the topic, Yang pointed towards a simple-looking diner. "This place looks pretty good." Looking at the menu, both girls' mouths watered. "Ooh, they've got a nice juicy double-stacked burger... with extra cheese!" Yang almost cheered, having not been able to something like that during the four months of training. " **TUNA.** " Yang nearly jumped as Blake's voice suddenly got deeper and far more guttural, like a low vibration rumbling through the air. Yang yelped as Blake grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her inside, sitting down at a booth by the window.

"What'll it be for you two ladies?" A waiter asked almost as soon as they sat down.

"U-uh..." Yang was still recovering from the whiplash that Blake, and answered a bit slowly. "I'll get... the Double-Stacked Burger and fries with... a strawberry milkshake."

"Great choice miss. And you?" He asked, turning to Blake.

"Sliced Tuna sandwich with extra tuna, and a glass of water." The waiter chuckled as he wrote it down and went off, Blake's eyes turning to Yang's. For a split second, she could see how dilated they were before they turned back to normal. Blake seemed to realized what she did and her face turned red. "...Oh God, I'm _so_ sorry about that." Yang could only burst into hysterical laughter, her eyes tearing up. It was only when she saw that people were giving her strange looks. "Wow Blake," She wheezed, "I didn't think that you liked fish that much. Jeez, you looked like you'd kill for some tuna if you were given the chance!" Blake, still red, chuckled a bit in agreement.

"Y-yeah. You know what one of my greatest fears are?" Yang raised a brow and opted not to say anything. "Like... if I was made out of tuna..."

"You'd eat yourself?" Yang deadpanned.

"I wouldn't even _question_ it!" Blake raged, Yang laughing again, albeit much more quietly. "Well hey, guess I can't question ya. Besides... I'm a fan of _thick meat,_ if you know what I mean?" She said with waggling brows, Blake proceeding to throw a straw at her in annoyance. "Y'know, on the topic of that..." Blake asked after a while, "...you don't have to answer this, I'm just curious. What's the deal between you and Cardin?" Instantly, Blake regretted asking the question. Yang's eyes did that incredibly weird thing where they flashed into red, her expression turning dark. It was true that boxing had giving Yang an excellent outlet for her anger, and as a result had become a far calmer person, her grades even improving because of it. Still, Yang was someone driven primarily by emotion, and Cardin (or in this case, the mention of him) brought up very, _very bad_ emotions.

"..."

"Like I said, you don't need to-" Blake said quickly.

"No, it's fine," Yang stopped her, the color slowly draining from her eyes. "Might as well get it off my chest. Cardin and I were once... together, obviously." Another sickened scowl found itself of Yang's face. "At first, was wasn't there to like about him? Tall, big, smart, and really good-looking, not to mention captain of the football team. I was attracted to his arrogance, because I felt like he was similar to me; we both thought that nobody could take us down, that we were the best. It was kinda like a Gang Boss having a tough-ass girlfriend." Blake snorted with a small grin, that _did_ sum up who Yang was. "But then... he started to get possessive, and... abusive." Blake actually flinched at that, her eyes going wide. Someone had the balls to try and abuse Yang? Judging from the look on Yang's face, it worked. "Of course, me being the idiot I was, I hung onto the idea that he 'loved' me like some little girl. The last straw came when he started to get physical. I was pretty strong back then, but still nowhere near his level, so I just left him. It was a great decision I made far too late, and I always regretted that."

Suddenly, Yang broke out into a grin. "But now it looks like I no longer have to worry about him. If he tries hitting me again, I'll knock his lights out, and even if he hits me, he still won't be able to do any real harm to me." Blake gave Yang a skeptical look. "Isn't he like... two-hundred pounds or something?"

"Two-hundred and three, yeah. Still, his punches won't sting like yours." Blake couldn't help but smile a bit at that. "Thank you... I guess?"

Yang grinned a bit wider. "From a girl like me, it's a compliment. Speakin' of which, here's the food!" he waiter quickly put their meals in front of them with efficient ease, not a single item out of place. "Enjoy, ladies." Immediately, they dug in, Blake's face twisting into one of pleasure as she bit into her tuna sandwich while Yang chomped her way through her burger and fries, taking giant gulps of her milkshake. Needless to say, they were done in a matter of minutes, plates completely empty as they leaned back. "Aah... that tasted amazing," Yang sighed, content as she sunk into the booth, Blake doing the same. "Since I dragged you in here, it's my treat," Blake said as she took her wallet out. "I'll cover the tip then."

With that, they left happily and satisfied with their meals, Yang's energy feeling like it had suddenly died down a bit. Her body suddenly felt heavier, her limbs much more sluggish in their movements. "Lord..." Yang muttered, her feet dragging slightly. "I didn't even really over-eat, but I feel..."

"Let me guess, heavy?" Blake said with a knowing look. "Yeah, that happens when you suddenly eat something big after weight-control. Hell, you probably gained two or three pounds just from that meal alone, so take it slow and don't rush into any quick movements or you might throw up." Yang chuckled, "Heh, not plannin' on it. Time to head back to the coach anyway." Ozpin was waiting very patiently for them, leaning on his car with two very cheesy looking beef-burritos in his hands, one of them currently being eaten by him. "Ah, back quite soon eh? I assume that you decided to eat something heavy and maybe a bit greasy Xiao Long?"

" _...Maybe_?" Yang replied slowly and cheekily. "Hey, you can't talk like that, you've got two loaded burritos in your hands!"

"Well I'm not the one fighting, now am I?" He returned very nonchalantly, that same smile on his face.

"Okay, fine, you have a small point there," Yang conceded. "A _small_ one."

"It is still one more than you've got Yang." Blake chided her.

"...I feel like I've lost too easily."

"Let's hope that isn't the case tomorrow," Ozpin finished, "Let's get you home."

 **(Another very long drive later...)**

"Rest up and take care of yourself," Ozpin said as she got out of the car, her bag slung onto her back. "Don't do anything stupid, and get a good night's sleep." Yang nodded eagerly, giving him a confident thumbs up. "Got it boss. See ya tomorrow for the match. Take care Blake, and bring a big-ass sign with my name on it when you cheer for me!" Blake smirked and replied, "You take care too Yang." She watch them as they drove off, grinning all the while as the weight of the upcoming event had finally fully rested upon her. "I'm... I'm having my first boxing match tomorrow!" She shouted in joy, leaping up before she started to shadow-box in a bout of pure excitement.

"Jab-cross, hook, upper!" She muttered to herself as her body flawlessly mimicked the movements, feet shifting and kicking up a bit of dirt and dust into the air. She laughed as she could almost see the fight happening, the Malachite girl in front of her throwing a powerful right. She weaved under the imaginary blow and followed up with a cross of her own, tearing through the air as she- "Yaaaaang! If you keep doing that you might hurt yourself!" Taiyang called, having watched his daughter's performance with a smile on his face. Yang jumped in surprise before she yelled, "Dad, don't scare me like that!" He laughed and opened the door as they walked in. "Lemme guess, you're excited for tomorrow?"

"No shit Sherlock," Yang deadpanned with a smirk.

He not-so-gently flicked her on the forehead. "Language, Yang." Taiyang was a very tired, but very strong man, and a flick from his finger was very painful. She shrieked as she clutched her forehead, having been caught off guard made her that much more vulnerable. She punched him lightly in the shoulder with a fake growl, "Damn it, cut that out!" They both shared a laugh before they plopped themselves down on the couch, Yang turning the TV on and continuing to watch a Floyd Patterson video. "Y'know, I was about your age when I met him," Taiyang said as he nodded at the small-looking heavyweight. Yang's eyes went wide. "Really!? What was he like?"

"Gentleman of boxing, that was his nickname," He said, "And he was definitely just that. Soft-spoken, charismatic, strong... lacked a chin to take heavyweight punches though, granted he's naturally supposed to be a middleweight." Yang shrugged, having known about that fact. "Eh, Sonny Liston was a monster back then, so can't really blame him. Still, that's really cool. I hope I get to meet Mike Tyson one day, maybe take a few notes on how to box like him!"

"...Yang, can I tell you something?" Taiyang asked suddenly, the serious tone stopping Yang.

"...What's wrong dad?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing's wrong," He said quickly, "I... just want to let you know that I'm proud of you. I'm proud of how much you're beginning to grow because of your choice to go into boxing, even if you didn't want to at first. No matter what happens tomorrow evening... I just want to let you know that I'll always support you." The speech was short and very to the point, but it pulled at Yang's heart-strings and made her tear up before she pulled him into a tight hug. "Thanks dad. I promise that I'll make you proud tomorrow, you'll see an entirely different me when the fight starts!"

* * *

 **(A.N: Next time on Hajime No Yang, the first official fight of the story, Yang versus Miltia! Make sure to catch it when it comes out, and aside from that, take care, leave a follow/fave, and be sure to comment on anything notable. Peace out! P.S small two references in this chapter, see if you can find them ;)**


	5. The Beginning of something great

**(A.N And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for: Yang Xiao Long, versus Miltia Malachite!)**

* * *

 **Hajime No Yang: Fists of Flame**

 **Chapter 5**

 **The opening to something amazing**

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 **(October 1st, the day of the fight, 1:10 pm...)**

"So Yang, how does your body feel?" Weiss asked. "I hope you didn't utterly gorge yourself on fatty foods." Yang could only grin as she constantly shifted her weight as they walked, almost like a weird kind of dance. On occasion, she'd throw terrifyingly powerful punches that tore through the air, her sleeves snapping from the speed of the blows. "I thought I felt good yesterday," She said after a while, "But now I feel like I'm on fire! God, if I'd known this was the kind of stuff Ruby did, I would've joined her sooner. Tonight's got me so hyped, just thinking about it makes me feel like I'm about to _explode_."

"Don't be near any windows when you can't take it anymore," Weiss replied dryly, earning an embarrassed grin from Yang. "Roger that Ice Queen." It was Weiss' turn to give Yang an indignant look: she really didn't like to be associated with anything to do with ice, she'd left Atlas for that very reason. However, it didn't _really_ help that her clothing had a tendency to be majorly colored with whites and light-blues. It _also_ didn't help that her hair was _literally_ pure white (she'd gotten the added burden of being called an 'oldie' as a child in school. Many people were slapped that day.) Needless to say, Weiss was still grateful for the way Yang treated her: like an equal, not someone to have trample beneath her feet simply via her family name. Yang wasn't afraid to stand up to someone, no matter who they were, and while it was fairly brash and reckless, Weiss liked that about Yang.

"So, what's for lunch today?" Yang asked, snapping Weiss out of her thoughts. "O-oh, um... well, I do believe that it's beef stew and fish or something similar." Yang's eyes lit up and she tossed Weiss over her shoulder, earning an indignant yelp from the poor girl as Yang sprinted to the cafeteria. Weiss was about to shriek at Yang for the hundredth until she realized something. 'She's not that fast... but she's been running at this pace for quite some time now, at least one minute. What kind of... no, how _much_ Stamina-Training did the Coach have her go through?' Yang came to a stop and put her down, Weiss staring at her and seeing that she was barely out of breath. "...Did I grow a second head or something?" Yang asked with a grin. Weiss relaxed and smiled back, simply glad that Yang was ready for her first match, both mentally and physically."Not at all. Let's go eat." As soon as they got inside, they saw Blake sitting by herself and gorging on the fish, obviously.

Yang had to cover her mouth to hold in her laughter while Weiss rolled her eyes and tried to hold back a grin. While this wasn't unexpected by any means, it was still funny to see. Blake had managed to compose herself as they got their meals and sat down next to her. "I'll take a wild guess and say that you're ready?" Blake asked, Yang beaming at her as she shoved food into her mouth, not exactly the prettiest sight if Weiss' look of revulsion was anything to go off. "If her appetite is anything to go off of Blake, then I'd guess Yang's just fine," Weiss cringed as Yang swallowed the giant clump of food like nobody's business. "Yup, what she said," Yang agreed before shoving even _more_ food into her mouth.

"Yo, Yang!" Yang looked behind her (after swallowing, thank God), and smiled as she saw her three stooges. Dove, Russel and Sky were all once friends of Cardin, and while that might've sounded like a bad thing for the girls, in reality, they were all quite cool with Yang. She'd gotten to know them pretty well while she was Cardin's girlfriend, and in fact they all had played a part in comforting her when she was being abused by Cardin. They were the best guy-friends any girl could ask for: snarky, jokey, and all generally funny guys to be with. Weiss and Blake were also fairly well acquainted with them, so no fights were to break out today, thankfully. "Stooges, what's up? Good to see you three still screwin' around."

"Please," Dove said.

"It's what we call..." Russel continued.

"Magic!" Sky finished, a dozen cards appearing in his hand. Dove and Russel promptly hit him on the back of the head with a *WHACK*. "Dude, you're supposed to say 'talent!' What is with you and these shitty magic-tricks?"

"Hey, my magic-tricks are not shitty, shitheads!" He proceeded to knock both of them in the heads, a small playful shuffle breaking out between the three rowdy boys. The three girls all rolled their eyes and watched on, amused. "Is it just me, or do they seem to be like this wherever they go all the time?" Weiss asked. Blake simply nodded. "All the time."

Yang had got up and grabbed all three of them by their hair and whacked their heads together casually. "Guys, cut it out, you're ruining our meal," She sighed as she managed to get to get them back in line. "Sorry Yang," all three of them coursed, pouting like kids before the group burst into laughter. "So Yang, we heard that you've got a boxing-match later tonight, right?"

"Oh? How'd you know?" She asked. They all pointed at Dove, the guy grinning. "Yeah, I'm a pretty big fan of boxing, I go to pretty much all the big matches. I was just looking at the under-card fights for tonight and I was pretty shocked to see you on it! So you can count on us to be there to cheer you on, 'kay?" Yang looked at the three of them in surprise, all of them reaching into their pockets and pulling out tickets to the fight. "You guys...!" She grabbed them and pulled them into a crushing hug. "You're the best idiots a girl can ask for, ya' know that?"

"Is it wrong to guess that Yang's like this too around them all the time?" Weiss deadpanned. Blake simply gave Weiss a knowing look. "Take a _wild_ guess as to what my answer is going to be."

"Come to think of it," Sky spoke after his lungs managed to expand properly, "You've gotten a _lot_ more fit in the past four months, and you've been doing even better in sports than you normally do. Boxing must be so cool to do." He started to mimic the punches of boxing, granted it was done very poorly and it made him look like an amateur child. Weiss got very annoyed at how he was doing it and quickly stood up, gaining everyone's attention. "If you're going to do a jab-cross, it can't be done with such poor form, it has to be like this," she insisted, throwing out that bullet-like jab once more, the sleeve of her jacket snapping sharply before her cross flashed out, almost faster than they could see.

"Whoa, it's just like Joe Louis!" Dove gasped. Weiss raised her brows at how someone was able to recognize the boxer whom she'd based her style off of. "I didn't figure you to be such a knowledgeable boxing-fan." Her eyes narrowed. "What's his record?"

"66 Wins, 52 K.O's and 3 losses," He answered smoothly.

"What's his most valuable weapon?"

"Some argue it's his cross because of how multi-purpose it was because of how he stepped out to the side, but I personally say it was his expert jab that set it up." Weiss nodded with a respectful gaze on her face. "Hmph. Not bad at all."

"Geez, even the Schnee is a boxer? I'd be scared, but someone as scrawny as her couldn't possible hurt a fly." Everybody turned to see Cardin standing by one of the tables, the group tensing up. Cardin turned to Yang and winked with a smarmy grin. "Yang." To everyone's surprise, Yang didn't leap right at him, but she instead smiled and did a curtsy. "Dickhead." Cardin flinched as Yang stared directly at him, her eyes flashing red. He did his best to ignore her for the time being and turned to the three boys. "Guys, hurry up and get your lunch, we've got some work to do." They all huffed and quickly got their food before walking out with him, each of them giving a grin and a thumbs up to Yang.

"...I am _not_ scrawny by the way!" She called out after him with an indignant voice. She turned to Blake and Yang, a worried look on her face. "No, you're just slim is all. Besides, I wouldn't worry about it." Blake brushed off casually. Weiss looked at both Yang and Blake, taking in their rather well-formed figures before looking down at her own, pouting and crossing her arms. 'Coming from a girl like you, you don't have to worry about much.'

 **(Fight Night, 8 pm)**

"One-two!" Ozpin shouted, Yang following up with the combination smoothly, loud *BANG-BANG* noises following a split second later. "Perfect, now step in and hook to the-NNG!" He barely had time to react as Yang already was ashing into the next punch, her liver-blow sending Ozpin skidding to the side. "Alright, I think that's enough," Glynda said with a chuckle. "We don't want to send your coach out of the fight early due to broken ribs or a burst organ." Yang looked embarrassed and nodded, going back to bouncing on her toes and throwing small punches in the air. "Sorry, just a bit excited," She muttered. Even her casual movements were still sharp filled with power. Ozpin smiled and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and said, "You're more than ready, I've made sure of that. It's fine to be scared, but just rely an your courage, and be scared moving forward. Understand?"

The rumble of doubt in Yang's stomach calmed slightly, and she nodded, smiling back. "...Thank's coach."

"Well, heart is good and all, but you actually need to back it up with skills," Weiss said. "So if you start swinging your arms around like a raving baboon or stumble like some drunkard, I _will_ slap you." Yang burst into laughter and pat Weiss on the back. "I hear you loud and clear Weiss. Thank you for being my second." The white-themed girl puffed up in a swell of pride. "It's my job, as both your friend and gym-mate to ensure you win this match." They bumped fists, and the door to their room suddenly opened, an official in a suit peeking through. "It's time, you're up Miss Xiao Long!" Instantly, that rush of nervous tension returned to Yang, but this time, she relished in it, slamming her gloved fists together. The group of four (including Glynda as the cut-woman) walked through the halls and into the entrance to the stadium. The sound of hundreds of people filled Yang's ears, and she swallowed hard.

"You've got this," Weiss whispered, again managing to calm Yang down a bit. "AAAAND NOW, FOR THE FIRST UNDERCARD FIGHT OF TONIGHT! INTRODUCING, FOR HER PROFESSIONAL DEBUT, WE HAVE... YANG XIAO LOOOOOONG!" At that que, they walked out of the dark hallway and into the arena: the place was almost fully _packed_ with people. Yang's eyes went wide as hundreds of people looked at her and began to cheer. "She looks like a tough one!" One person shouted to her left. "Do your best rookie!" Another said from the stand above her. She didn't mind the cheers for her at all, but she was wondering why there were so many people ready to watch the fight. "C-Coach, why are there so many people?" She asked. He only smiled knowingly. "You'll know once you win."

When she hopped into the ring, she looked around and was greeted by Blake, Ruby, her dad and the stooges by a ringside seat, Blake's hand covered in a massive 'Number One' foam glove while the stooges actually held up a full-on banner that read 'Give them hell Yang!', waving it madly. She could hear Ruby shout, "Good luck big sis!" She grinned and waved at them before the announcer spoke again. "WITH A RECORD OF THREE WINS, AND TWO KNOCKOUTS, INTRODUCING... MILITIA, THE MAULER, MALACHITE!" It was clear that despite her lack of fights, she'd already gained quite a following, indicated by a group of people wearing majorly red clothing cheering the loudest for her as she stepped out of her out tunnel. Yang couldn't lie, watching her silhouette stomp out dressed in mainly red with white accents was fairly intimidating... but Yang could do intimidating.

She stood tall and continued to stare at her the whole way, right up to the point where they were facing off in the middle of the ring in front of the referee. He droned on about the rules which Yang was already well acquainted with, so she blocked him out and continued to stare directly into Militia's eyes. Militia once again, was profoundly surprised at the bravery of this rookie girl. The fact that she was a bit taller certainly helped to enhance the intimidating aura the girl was trying to convey, she had to credit Yang at least that much. 'Not a girl of many words, eh? That's fine by me, all that's left is seeing how strong your fists are!'

"Alright ladies, have a good clean fight and let's go to work," The referee said, "Touch up!" Militia and Yang lightly slammed their gloves together before walking to their respective sides of the ring. Yang's heart leaped to her thrat and all of a sudden, she was having trouble breathing, but strangely, she didn't really feel that afraid. Ozpin noticed and mistook it for fear, grabbing Yang by the arm and whispering, "Be brave!" as he put her mouth guard in.

"LET THE FIRST FIGHT OF THE NIGHT... BEGIN!"

*DING-DING* The bell rang loudly in Yang's ears and she quickly pivoted, every single thing Ozpin had taught her rushing back into her mind as she raised her hands high, making a beeline straight for for Militia. The red-glad girl wasn't one to idly wait around either, dashing forward and meeting Yang in the center of the ring. She grit her teeth and rocketed her right into Yang's guard with a *POW*, sending Yang reeling back, the expression on her face hidden by her gloves as she curled up into a tight guard. Militia growled and continued her assault, powerful straights forcing Yang to the ropes. "Yang, what the hell are you doing!?" Weiss roared, "Slip the punches and fire back, don't just stand there and absorb them!" Ozpin only narrowed his eyes, having a fairly good idea what Yang was trying to do. 'Dangerous, but if she gets calm, she'll be able to pull through this round.'

Yang managed to push her way off the ropes and quickly stepped away from her, throwing a wimpy jab that barely tapped Militia's face. "Coach, we need to get her to listen!" Weiss shouted, starting to panic. Ozpin only shoot her a cool, calm gaze. "There's no need to be so worked up in the first round. Yang has this under control, and there's no real advice we can gave her..." He paused for a moment before conceding to one of Weiss' points. "She should protect her face more though."

"Yang, at least move your head if you aren't going to throw any good punches!" Weiss roared.

Weiss' advice, while completely sound, wasn't reaching Yang's ears from the pounding she was receiving for almost sixty seconds straight. 'Come on, all that posing and all you can do is cover-up like a turtle!? You're disappointing!' Militia thought as Yang threw out another weak jab, cocking her powerful right hand back and swinging in a ripping right hook to the head...only it never landed. Yang's head disappeared from view and suddenly Militia's liver felt like someone had slammed a sledgehammer into it, agony blurring her vision as she dropped to a knee. Yang stood there, breathing deeply but not heavily. People who had gone silent in Yang's favor had burst into cheering. The ref who had originally considered stopping the fight was stunned at the sudden turn-around before he leaped in between them, shouting to Yang, "Go to your neutral corner!"

Yang made a quick jog over to her corner before her attention was caught by Ozpin. He gave her a serious look and nodded, Yang managing to keep her joyous emotions in check as she nodded back. 'It's not over yet, far from it,' she thought as she chewed on her mouth-guard. Militia was already getting back up, controlling her breathing to make sure she got in as much oxygen as possible. 'Sh...shit, she hits like a train! She's hella fast as well. She might be a bit taller than me, but she's clearly good on the inside. Still... I won't loose!' She stood up on the count of seven and put her hands up, nodding to the referee to signal she was alright. "Box!" The referee yelled, and the two of them instantly went right back at each other.

Miltia tried to restart strong, throwing a powerful straight-right, only for it to be ducked under. She wasn't going to fall for the same trick twice though as she quickly hopped away, throwing out two quick jabs to keep Yang off her. Yang didn't back down, quickly weaving her head to evade them, the gloves scarping her cheek before she fired back with a strong jab of her own. Militia barely managed to pull her head away from it, but she recovered quickly and stepped to the side, throwing a blistering left hook to Yang's head. Yang also escaped by a hair's width, backing up slightly and keeping her eyes on the red-clad girl. "Don't back up Yang!" Ozpin shouted. "Keep moving into her, continuously put the pressure on and don't give her any time to recuperate!" Yang did just that, dashing back in only to get clocked hard on the cheek with a right cross.

Yang staggered for a moment and Militia pounced on her with a quick flurry of hooks to try and put her down, but Yang was still fresh and her adrenaline was ridiculously high, so she withstood it and weaved her head out of the way, firing back with a right hook that tore through the air. Still it missed, barely grazing Militia's ribs as she back-stepped, but a twinge of pain shot through her from even the small impact. 'She's got a great right arm,' Yang thought. 'My cheek's still stingin' from the impact too, but I can't let her get away!' Yang clenched her teeth and dashed forward, slipping as many of the punches as she could. She stepped in and fired a straight-right into Militia's stomach, nearly sending her back down to the floor before she came up and threw a hook to the head.

Militia barely managed to sway away from the blow, her back bouncing off of the ropes before she leaped away, managing to stick another one of her thudding rights onto Yang's cheek. Even still, Yang continued to move forward, bobbing and weaving even faster. *DING-DING*, the gong sounded, and the referee practically leaped in between the two girls before they could fire off even more shots at each other. "To your corners!" He shouted over the waves of cheering and applause, the two of them staring at each other for a moment, a look of respect passing between the before they went back to their respective corners, sitting down on the stools.

"How's your stamina?" Ozpin asked the moment Yang sat down. She was breathing deeply, but the grin on her face and the brightness in her eyes was unmistakable. "I'm doing just fine coach." He grinned for a split second before he got serious again. "Good or bad stamina, you aren't moving your head enough! Those four months working on the Peek-A-Boo Style wasn't so that you'd charge in and let your face become an open target. Trying to gauge her hand-speed to perform your slips was a decent tactic, but it was too risky to simply stand there and take it, tight guard or not. Good job on getting the first down tough."

"Coach is right," Weiss said as she squeezed a bit of water into Yang's mouth. "Remember, use your knees and hips to slip the punches, not just bending at the waist. Same thing with your punches, engage your legs more and twist your hips into them, don't just use your arms." Yang nodded and winced at the stinging pain on her cheek. "What do you think of her?" Ozpin asked, gesturing over to Militia. Yang nodded, a serious look on her face this time. "She's got a strong-ass right hand, that's her main K.O weapon like you said. She's using her jab a lot more than I expected, and she's got some pretty decent hooks as well. Her footwork isn't much of a threat so long as I can keep up with her."

Ozpin quickly came in close, saying, "Exactly. No matter what, stick close to her and you'll always have the advantage even if you're a bit taller than her. Shut down her legs with repeated body-blows and then finish her with a blow to the head, got it?" Yang pounded her gloves together and grinned, "You got it boss!"

Over on Militia's corner... "Shit, my ribs are still feeling that punch!" Militia cursed as she spat water into the bucket. "Sister, you need to calm down," Melanie said as she put a pack of ice on the already bruising skin. "Don't talk as much, just breathe and recuperate from the damage." She muttered a curse before deciding to stay quiet, breathing in deeply. Melanie glanced back at Yang before turning back to her sister. "She's strong, that much is obvious, and the way she moves is gonna be a problem for your footwork. You need to distance yourself from her and throw more of those jabs out if you wish to stand a chance against her. It's risky, but we only have four rounds to try and finish her and win."

"What are you, blind!?" She almost shouted. "My jabs are her fucking _food_! She keeps timing me perfectly and slipping them, and I barely have enough time to react to her counter-punches. Hell, she's like a female Mike Tyson!" Melanie raised an eyebrow. "And do remind me, how was he beaten?" Militia went silent after that. "Strong, authoritative jabs keep him at bay before he as taken down with a strong power-blow. You might be a bit shorter than her, but you're both equal when it comes to wingspan. Like I said before, use your jabs as a setup for your right!"

"Yeah, but that doesn't change our space and her step-in."

Melanie smirked and directed a very suggestive look to her. "Then _make_ some space." Militia's eyes widened before she grinned and nodded.

 **"Seconds out! Let Round 2 Begin!"**

"Remember Yang, keep your head-movement sharp, use your legs, and stick to her!" Ozpin shouted as Yang walked in confidently, her hands by her chin before she suddenly paused, and everyone saw why. Militia had unexpectedly switched into a Southpaw Stance, right hand in front as she lightly bounced on her toes. "You have _got_ to be shitting me!" Weiss raged before she managed to compose herself. "She can use a southpaw stance too!?"

"Don't fret too much Weiss," Ozpin said, still watching intensely. "In all of Militia's fights, she's only ever used an Orthodox stance. I have a feeling that she's only doing this only to throw Yang off and create some space between her." He leaned into the ring and yelled, "Yang, ignore her stance and force your way in close! It doesn't matter what stance she has, so long as you're at close range, you'll always have the advantage!" Shaking her doubt off, Yang tightened her guard and moved in steadily, constantly weaving her head in all directions. Militia kept her eye focused squarely on her head before her right jab lashed out, catching Yang in the cheek with an audible *POW*. Yang for one was staggered, shocked at the speed and power behind the blow before Militia took the opening and landed two more sharp shots before dancing away from Yang's own jab.

"You can't rely on your jab this time Yang!" Weiss called out. "You'll need to start with your right cross instead before you step in!" Yang again shook of the damage as best as she could and dashed in again, scowling slightly as she rushed to catch up with Militia. 'Damn, it's like every time I punch I can't seem to touch her. I'll just have to step in even faster then!' She barely managed to weave out of the way from another jab, but she took her chance and practically leaped, closing the distance and rearing her left hand back before twisting and slamming it into Militia's liver with a *BANG*. Yang almost grinned before she got struck in the temple, her vision flashing white before she managed to stay on her feet, hands up in a tight guard as she managed to realize what happened.

She had managed to block the body-blow just in time before she countered, the skin on her arm quickly turning red. 'Shit, she was waiting for me,' Yang thought, slightly annoyed. 'I can't fall into a pattern she can pick apart too easily. She wants to knock me out, she'll have to work for it!' Again Yang dashed in, starting with a jab that made Militia step to the side, batting it away. Yang expected it, instead of pivoting, she shoulder-charged into Militia, the red-clad girls punch slipping off the top of Yang's head from the unexpected maneuver, before Yang's gloved fist crashed into her face with a powerful straight right, sending her entire body flailing back into a corner.

"Finish her sis, now's your chance!" Ruby yelled. "You can do it Yang!" Blake and Taiyang shouted in tandem. Yang grinned and moved in, again quickly weaving the punches before blitzing her with hooks and uppercuts, patiently picking her apart bit by bit. Militia grit her teeth and tightened her guard, weathering the blows as best as she could. Yang twisted her hips and feet as she slammed a left hook into her guard before following up with another full-body hook to the head, further drilling her into the corner. "It seems like Yang may have this in the bag," Weiss sighed, a small smile on her face as relief coursed through her. Ozpin again only watched, his body seemingly much tenser than before.

He watched closely as Militia looked like she was being smashed into the corner, yet despite the situation, he caught for a split second this sudden gleam in her eye. "Yang, back off from her!" He suddenly shouted, but too late. Just as he yelled, she threw an uppercut meaning to split her guard wide open. Militia was waiting for that, opening up and throwing out a left hook with all her might... and connecting right on Yang's jaw with a sickening *CRACK*, her eyes glazing over and her body crumpling like a wet sock.

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 **(A.N: Over already!? Impossible! Will Yang manage to crawl to her feet or will she give in to unconsciousness? Find out next chapter! Thank you all so much for the surge of support this has been getting, and I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, so be sure to leave a Fav and Follow, and peace out!)**


	6. The road to the Title!

**(A.N: Finally, back to the fight! Obviously I'm not going to let it end like that, so yeah we're going right back into it. Sorry I took so long to get this out. Also, just to explain something, I know that female boxing-rounds are only two minutes. Here, I made it three, because like many other great female boxers have said before, like Ali's daughter Laila and the wrecking ball Anne Wolfe, two minutes is way too short. Enjoy!)**

* * *

 **[Hajime No Yang: Fists of Flame]**

 **Chapter 6**

 **The road to the belt begins!**

* * *

" _And Yang Xiao Long goes down!_ " The crowd shouted and cheered as Yang landed on the canvas face-first, her body having gone completely limp. Ozpin reacted immediately, repeatedly slamming his hands down on the canvas. "Get to a knee Yang before the ref stops the fight! Don't give up just because of one punch, so get up!" Yang barely heard what he was saying: her ears were ringing and she head was spinning. Her limbs felt like they wouldn't listen, and she was starting to panic. ' _N-no... no no no! C'mon, the Coach is calling, I have to get up. I_ have _to win!_ ' She grit her teeth as the world came back into focus, her eyes looking up at the referee. He was already counting, "Five!... Six!...Seven!" Yang quickly looked down at herself and was surprised. She had already moved to a kneeling position while she was down and she didn't even know it. Hell, she was feeling pretty good considering how hard that punch hit her. Looking at Ozpin, he nodded and gave a thumbs up, relief flooding his face.

She quickly stood up, pounding her gloves together and setting herself back in her stance. "You okay to continue?" The referee asked. Yang simply nodded and grinned. He nodded back and signaled at Militia to come back out of her corner. "Box!"

'Okay, that punch was right on the jaw and she still seems a bit groggy, I need to take my chance and-!' She barely got her guard up as Yang charged right at her, slamming a right cross into her guard and blowing right back into the corner. 'Are you shitting me, she's recovered already!?' Her eyes narrowed as she saw Yang just barely stumble, her legs shaking a bit. 'No, she's just trying to seem like she has. I'll press my attack!' She threw a quick jab, but Yang stepped in and slipped under it. 'If she hasn't recovered before, she sure as hell has now!' The constant pressure forced Militia back to the ropes, still throwing powerful shots at her. Expecting Yang to go back to wildly attacking from close range, she quickly threw out a right hook. Yang wasn't an idiot, she saw it coming and swayed back before countering with a quick, soft touch to Militia's guard. Confused, she tightened up her guard as Yang stood there for a moment, bobbing and weaving in a sharp but unpredictable pattern. 'Dammit, I can't tell what she's gonna do!'

'Good, she's confused, now throw some bad intentions!' As she weaved, her fight hand suddenly slammed into Militia's side with a ***BANG*** , stunning the girl. 'Again!' She slammed her left into her liver-area: even protected behind her elbows, the impact was enough to get her to bend over slightly. 'Perfect!' She quickly switched her legs, her right foot in front. She threw another body blow before leaning back, throwing her fist straight up and twisting her hips into her uppercut. Even through the cheers, the ***BANG*** echoed through the arena, everyone wincing as Militia's head shot up. Yang only frowned as she quickly shifted away from the counter-hook. 'Shit. I missed.' Militia looked calm on collected as she pivoted away from Yang's jab, finally coming off the ropes. 'I aimed to high and leaned back to far, only managed to get her on the forehead.'

"Don't stand there Yang, cut her off and move in!" Weiss yelled, and Yang gladly obliged, dashing in... and nearly getting caught with a right cross. She barely leaned away from it in time, but she felt a sharp pain right above her eye. Ignoring it, she still moved in and threw a straight-right, solidly hitting her in the face. "Hit and move your head, don't get caught with the counter!" Ozpin's voice got through to her head as she quickly weaved to the left, managing to dodge another quick left. 'When you dodge, step in and fire back!' Her feet shifted and she twisted her body into a powerful right hook, crashing into her guard. Militia read it, throwing back her own right cross at Yang's face. With Yang's left coming out in a wide hook, It caught her cleanly down the middle with a _*POW*_ , Yang's head whipping back. She stayed on her feet, getting her eyes back onto Militia and backing away, a tight guard put up for insurance.

'You're tough, there's no doubt about that, definitely stronger than Blake. But...' She dashed to the side and shifted her weight, throwing a full-body hook. She just barely got Militia's guard, but the force was enough to blow her guard away. 'You don't have the same reflexes as her!' She pivoted again, opening up her stance and firing her right-cross and missing. Her right eye suddenly stung and she instinctively closed it: something warm and wet felt like it was covering her eye. 'Agh, the hell-!?' Her distraction cost her as she was hit with an uppercut right in the stomach, winding her before Militia's own right cracked across her face. The gong suddenly sounded and the referee jumped in between them, quickly separating them. "Time! Back to your corners!"

Yang righted herself but stumbled slightly as she walked over to her corner, sitting heavily on her stool. "Yang, stay still," Ozpin said, "You've got a nasty cut on your face."

'Huh, so then that warm feeling's probably blood.' Yang grinned at that. "So I'll get a battle-scar then?" Glynda was quick and efficient with her work, washing off the blood and putting Vaseline in the wound. Yang's eyebrows raised as she felt the previous sting of pain cool off almost instantly. "Huh... neat. Thanks Miss Goodwitch!" She smiled and nodded, satisfied at her handy work. "It's my job as the cut-man to deal with problems like these."

"That aside, how are your legs?" Weiss asked. "You took some pretty hard shots, especially that hook that downed you and that last straight she hit you with." Yang wiggled her toes legs for a bit, getting a feel for them. "They're feelin... kinda heavy, but it isn't terrible."

"Okay, not too bad then. Your breathing's still pretty even, and you haven't suffered that much damage." Weiss immediately grabbed several bags of ice and put them directly on her legs, causing Yang to almost leap to her feet. "What the f-!?"

"Let's get as much feeling back into your legs as possible. If you get caught with bad legs, you can't recover." Yang nodded and hissed as the stinging feeling of the ice spread through her legs, her nerves lighting up once again. "Alright, I think now its time it put it all on the line," Ozpin spoke, getting Yang's attention. "From here on out, pick up the pace. You only have another two rounds left, and with that stamina training I put you through, I'm confident that you'll do just fine. You might not have notice, but you managed to pressure Militia out of her southpaw stance. She'll definitely remember to put it back up, so force your way in and wear her down with bad intentions. You're at your best when you've pressured someone to the ropes or to the corner and you take your time. Use compact shots and keep weaving your head to throw her off. Got it?"

"Hear you loud and clear boss."

" _Seconds out!_ " Yang stood up and was surprised by how alive her legs felt, hopping around on them a bit. "Thanks for the ice, Weiss!" Weiss rolled her eyes at the poorly made pun before pointing back to Militia. Yang slammed her gloves together and put her guard up. " _Round three... begin!_ "

Both Yang and Militia seemed to have the same strategy: dash forward and turn the match into an all-out firefight. Militia started off with a sharp straight-right, Yang stepping to the side and firing another liver-blow. The red-clad girl saw it coming, pivoting out of the way and throwing a quick check-hook. Again Yang was quick to duck, forcing her way in and throwing out a sharp jab before stepping into a southpaw-stance and rocketing an uppercut into her stomach. Militia keeled over for a moment before she bit down hard on her mouth-guard and swung back at her jaw. Again yang ducked, but it just barely scraped by her wound. 'Don't get distracted by it, just keep moving forward and pressure her!' Yang thought as she blocked out the stinging pain.

The two of them battled it out in the center of the ring, the crowd cheering them on as they threw terrifying shots at each other and refusing to back down. Jab, jab, cross, hook, uppercut, most of them dodged by Yang, though the hook managed to sink into her body. She grit her teeth and tensed up, rifling back with a blazing hook of her own. Militia's guard was solid, but it wasn't enough to fully block Yang's stunning power, the damage going through the guard. "Hmm, Militia is quite a forward fighter, so pressuring her isn't that easy," Ozpin mused before shouting to Yang. "Use your size and power to force her back Yang!" She heard and did just that, throwing out a quick but light jab that Militia instantly covered up from, blocking her vision. Yang caught on and took the opportunity, just swinging as hard as she could into her guard, blasting her back to the ropes with sheer force. "Perfect, wear her down with body-shots!"

'She still has a good chance to escape...' Yang thought as she pressed forward, bobbing and weaving before intentionally throwing a wide right cross. Militia took the bait and pivoted out of the way easily, nailing Yang with a check-hook to the temple. 'Got you!' Yang quickly shifted her weight and dashed into the fleeing boxer, catching her off guard and sending her stumbling into the corner. 'Shit, that's what she was aiming for?' Militia thought, glancing behind her. 'Still, I've knocked her down before here and I'll do it again!' Looking back at Yang, she suddenly froze: pressure seemed to smother her as Yang squared up in front of her, her lilac eyes flashing red. 'What the f-!?'

She felt a giant flat force slam into her jaw from an uppercut, her vision flashing white before she regained her senses and threw a quick hook to the head. Yang ducked under and went for another body-blow, crashing her fist into Militia's guard again and following up with another uppercut. Militia was wise to the move, crossing her arms under her chin and tensing up as hard as she could. The uppercut connected with a deafening ***BANG*** , and despite the tight block, her body was lifted clean off the floor by at least _half a foot_. She grit her teeth and threw out her right as soon as her feet touched to floor, catching Yang on the eye before she could slip and sending her reeling back, the cut opening up in a small spray of blood. 'Now's my chance!' Militia thought, winding her right arm back and aiming for the blonde bomber's chin, ready to send her to sleep.

'Shit, blood's in both of my eyes!' Yang thought as both of her eyes quickly squeezing closed from the sting of the blood. 'Dammit, I'm vulnerable, but she's right in front of me. All I gotta do is...!' She switched her stance into a squared-up southpaw, cocking her own right fist low. ' _Hit the mitts like the Coach taught me to!_ ' The two fighters let loose their punches with everything they had, Militia's straight-right crashing into Yang's cheek and Yang's uppercut finally landing cleanly under Militia's jaw. Their heads respectively twisted and jerked violently, their eyes rolling up into their heads before snapping back. The punch had actually managed to wipe away some of the blood, and Yang managed to open one eye. 'There you are!' Militia looked ready to follow up, but her legs wobble badly and she paused, shocked at the damage as she tried to put her guard up in time.

"Finish her Yang, she's staggered!" Ozpin shouted. Yang roared like a raging lion, leaping forward and swinging her left into Militia's head as hard as she could, her body twisting tightly and moving blindingly fast. The punch landed with a final, echoing _***BANG***_ , sweat flying through the air as her fist crashed into Militia's temple. Her body flopped onto the floor completely limp, the referee yelling "DOWN!" Yang jogged over to her neutral corner before wobbling and leaning heavily on it, her legs barely supporting her. "Stay up Yang, grit your teeth and be ready!" Weiss shouted, Yang nodding and pitting her gloves up. With the adrenaline of the fight quickly fading even after the quick rest, she could feel her legs shaking and her face throbbing, exhaustion starting to set in after fighting at near full-throttle for an extended period of time. The ref knelt down and was counting in front of Militia: he reached to three before he suddenly stopped, looking closely at her.

Yang tensed up for a moment, every muscle in her body seizing up as adrenaline blasted through her blood once more. The ref quickly stood up and waved his hands over his head. The bell rang, and everyone burst into cheers: Yang just stood there, her face slack with shock to the point where her bloody mouth-guard slipped out, landing on the floor. Ozpin and Weiss rushed into the ring, grabbing Yang by the legs and lifting her up after taking her gloves off (Glynda had followed in a much more composed manner). "You did it Yang, you won!" He shouted over the cheering, an ecstatic look on his face. "Give the crowd what they want Yang," Weiss called, "Raise your hand!" Stunned, Yang did just that, albeit slowly, earning even more cheering directed at her. "W...wait a sec, put me down," Yang said. Confused, Ozpin did just that but smiled softly as Yang made her way to Militia. She was only now sitting up, her face still dazed.

She was surprised when she looked up and through the number of medics and officials ensuring she was okay, she saw Yang crouching in front of her, a worried look on her face. "H-hey... need help standing?" Militia was genuinely touched by how humble she was being. "...Yeah, I'd like that." She grabbed Yang's extended hand and she was helped up, the crowd clapping at the gesture. It wasn't often that you saw that level of respect nowadays. "And the winner by knockout, in round three, one-minute and ten seconds... Yang Xiao Long!"

"You're one hell of a fighter if you can beat me," Militia laughed, putting a hand on Yang's shoulder. "You'll go far if you stick to your guns and fight like you did. I wish the best for you Xiao Long." Yang smiled and embraced her, all tension forgotten between them. "Hey, you only lost because I managed to get in one more punch. Had it been you who caught me with one more of your rights, I think that I'd be the one on the floor."

"Yeah, but you have a hell of a chin on you," Militia chuckled. Yang grinned back and rapped her knuckles on her jaw, wincing slightly from the sting of pain. "Well, I wish you the best of luck in the rest of the tournament." Yang raised an eyebrow at that. "Tournament?"

Ozpin grinned and and crossed his arms as he listened to the conversation. "Uh... yeah. The Vale-Belt Tournament. Forty fighters enter and fight their way to get a title-shot at the champion of Vale. Also really helps that she's aiming for the Unified title as well." Yang turned to Ozpin with a completely shocked look on her face. "You heard her correctly. You want to be boxing under Beacon's name, you'll have to quickly increase your skills and experience."

"...So I'm aiming for a Domestic title, huh?" Yang said. She looked at her fists and clenched them, once again wondering just how far they could take her. She looked back up at Ozpin and grinned putting her fist over her heart. "I swear here and now, I'll take that title!" Yang was then promptly crushed by two people slamming into her, being Ruby, her father and Blake standing to the side, smiling widely. Ruby was practically bawling tears of joy as she clung to her sister, Yang scooping her up and hugging her back with hearty laughter. Taiyang was the same, laughing as he scooped both of his daughters up into a massive bear-hug. "I'm so _proud_ of you Yang," He whispered, almost tearing up. She grinned and punched him in the chest. "It wasn't just me who did it. I had a really good coach," She nodded over to Ozpin, "Two strong-ass sparring partners," Blake and Weiss smiled black at her, "And the perfect cut-woman for the job." Glynda simply bowed at the waist slightly, happy that she was able to do her job.

"Oh yeah, let's not forget about my _fabulous_ cheerleaders." She waved over to Dove, Sky, and Russel, who were madly waving their banner like nobody's business. "Well, all that aside, I think that a celebration is in order," Blake said. "Shall we?"

 **Thirty minutes later...**

"Holy crap, fifteen-hundred lien!?" Yang cried out as she counted the money. "Now I know it isn't a lot, but remember, you aren't a title-level challenger or even ranked yet, so of course you won't get paid that much in comparison to them-"

"Are you kidding!? I could buy loads of shit with this!" She calmed down before continuing, "I know 1,500 ain't much speaking realistically, but still, I don't have much of on allowance, so this much is pretty good for one night." Ozpin smiled at how innocent the girl looked as she held the money with child-like glee. 'Not unlike her mother... or me, for that matter,' He chuckled to himself. Yang promptly went back to devouring her food, shoving an entire steak in her mouth. ' _Definitely_ not unlike her mother,' Ozpin concluded as he drank from his mug deeply. "Seriously Yang," Dove spoke up, "How the hell are you eating so much? Good God, I thought you were a pig before, but you're eating almost double what you used to, and that's saying something." Gulping down a good three pounds of food, Yang responded with raised eyebrows. "Dove, I've been working out for the past five months almost killing myself. You expect me _not_ to eat more than usual?"

Dove was promptly slapped on the back of the head by both of his friends, everyone laughing at that. "Still, I was really worried when you took that straight to the face with your eyes closed," Ruby sighed. "How did you do it? A shot like that would've had me out cold."

"...I just grit my teeth and punched like the coach's mitts were in front of me," She said after a moment, grinning at her little sister. "Personally, I think it would've been better if you went for a clinch," Weiss spoke up. "You would have regained a bit of stamina and stability." Ruby and Yang both threw the white-haired heiress a rather horrified look. "Eww... Yang, she said a bad word," Ruby hissed, catching Weiss completely off guard: she didn't think Ruby could have such a disgusted expression on her face. They both laughed at Weiss' expression, snapping her out of it before she glared at them, Blake giggling lightly. "We're only messing with ya Weiss," Ruby said. "It's just that... Yang and I don't really like clinching."

"Yeah, if you wanna hug, do it outside the ring!" Yang agreed. Weiss stared dully at them for a while. "That... is a _very_ fitting opinion for you two." Something clicked in Weiss' mind as she looked at Ruby. "Oh, Ruby, don't you have a match in... what, five days?" Yang was shocked before she squealed and hugged Ruby, squeezing her lungs dangerously as the poor girl turned purple. "You have a match and you didn't tell me!? Oh, we could've trained together!"

"Y...Yang... air..." Thankfully Yang managed to let her go before she died via suffocation. "Really, good luck on it sis. We should have a spar before you fight actually, I've never seen you fight yet come to think about it."

"You'll find that I'm way harder to hit than ya think sis'."

"Heh, game on!"

 **Outside the restaurant...**

A hooded figure looked through the glass of the window, looking directly at Yang. Her expression was completely unreadable, save for what looked like a ghost of a smile on her face. 'So the rumors are true, it seems,' She thought to herself. 'When junior said Xiao Long, I honestly didn't believe him. She did well tonight, I wasn't expecting her to have grown as fast as I have. She'll keep getting better and better, and it won't be long before she reaches... maybe even surpasses me. Maybe.' She slowly put her hand on the window, her red eyes showing what looked like remorse. '...God, don't make the same mistakes that I did, Yang.'

"Ah, Miss Branwen, there you are!"

'Speaking of _fucking_ _mistakes_...' Raven snarled to herself, temporarily losing control of her unbreakable mask before her face turned neutral as she turned to face the man speaking to her. He was a fairly large, dark-skinned man, dressed in a back and white suit (despite the time of night) and had a foolish number of rings on his fingers. He looked to be in his late fifties, and his most prominent feature, aside from his jovial smile and round belly, had to be his hair. It was standing almost straight up, black at the roots and white at the ends, like a... candle-flame gone horribly wrong. "Don. What do you want?"

"Well, I just came to tell you that I have another fight ready for you, is all! No need to be so... hostile around me." Raven sighed and asked, "What our purse looking like?"

"Looking at a minimum of 250,000 in cold, hard cash from the fight alone," He said gleefully. Raven could only grind her teeth. "Sponsors together may very well pull in an extra thousand each." He put her arm around her shoulders and gestured to the sky: Raven was very, very close to tearing his arm off. "You were right to come to me to be your manager, Miss Branwen. You're already approaching world-title level, and soon, you'll take home the real belt." Raven simply stayed silent, letting him ramble about his grandeur beliefs like the asshat he was. "Hmm, I do have to wonder... why is it that you're here of all places at nine in the night?" At that, Raven froze. 'No. NO. WALK AWAY, DON'T TURN AROUND!' He turned around, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. 'SHIT!'

His eyes went wide and his smile turned wide. "My oh my! Now is that who I think it is?" He peered closer and his smile turned even wider, almost splitting his face. "Not to mention... those bandages on her face! She really is your daughter," He cooed. "Why, from the look on her face, she must have won as well. She'll make a very valuable addition to-!" Instantly, Raven grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into the wall with a heavy *THUD*, a few slates from the roof falling free and crashing onto the sidewalk.

"You leave my daughter alone, do you understand?" She snarled, her eyes wide and contracted with rage. "I won't let you trap her!" Coughing from the impact, he looked unfazed otherwise. "Trap? Goodness Miss Branwen, you wound me with false accusations. After all, it was _you_ who came to me as a young woman after all, looking for fame and wealth." Raven only gripped tighter, her rage building further and further. "Now I'd very much prefer it if you got your hand off of me, Miss Branwen. _Do_ remember that I can still drop you at any moment, and that you still owe me." She looked she was ready to tear his head off before she let go of him and roared, swinging her fist into a loose brick and shattering it with a loud *CRACK*.

"...Just leave her alone Don. That's all I'm fucking asking of you."

"Well, for now. She's a quite bit early in her career, so there's a chance she may be a one-hit-wonder." He pat Raven on the shoulder with his jovial, "See you around!" Raven stood there with her fists clenched, her eyes squeezed shut as she fought back a few tears. 'Fuck, why did I go to him of all people?' She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood before she managed to calm down. '...At the very least... Yang's safe. For now, she's safe, and that's enough for me.' She straightened herself and walked away, glancing back at her daughter every now and then with regret in her eyes.

 _ **TWBY CONTINUED...**_

* * *

 **(A.N: Sorry it took so long to come out with this, had some trouble with the fight choreography :p Oh, and yes, Raven's manager is DON KING, in case you didn't get it. If you still don't because you aren't a big boxing-fan, basically Don King is a highly successful manager who worked with the likes of Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson... also robbed/betrayed Ali and ruined Mike Tyson's life with money (along with a number of other heavyweights) So yeah, he's a dickhead who plays a pretty big role behind the curtains of the story. Anyway, see you later, and hope you guys enjoy!)**


	7. The Daughter of 'Her'

**A.N: Aaaaaand I'm back again! Sorry for the wait with this, chalk it up my my lazy ass being... lazy, plus trying to write a draft for the chapter of my other story (feel free to check it out) Anyway, let's dive right in ladies and gents!**

* * *

 **Hajime No Yang, Fists of Flame**

 **Chapter 7**

 **Speedy, Slick, and Sweet as Sugar!**

 **Daughter of a champion?**

* * *

 **Five days after Yang's fight...**

"One-hundred and ninety eight... one-hundred and ninety nine... two-hundred!" Yang grunted as she finished her last push-up, quickly getting to her feet and slightly regretting it as her head stung with pain. ' _Crap, still haven't recovered yet. First fight or not, I still took way too many hits in such a small number of rounds. Don't wanna become punch-drunk so early in my boxing-career._' She stretched, groaning as small stings of pain ran through her. Even well after her fight with Militia, Yang had decided as much as possible to stay in shape, even if her next fight was months away. It also helped that she'd grown to like working out (so long as she wasn't dying), seeing as it made her feel even more monstrously powerful and gave her an even more impressive figure. ' _Alright, time to take a bath and get ready for Ruby's fight!_ ' Yang was quick to get ready, eager to see how good her sister was in the heat of a fight. Walking out of her room after getting dressed, Yang ran into Ruby sitting on the couch, her gear in a bag next to her, hands already wrapped and she was... sitting still. Dead still. Ruby Rose doesn't sit still.

"...Ruby?" She turned to face Yang and the blonde flinched, taking a step back from the cold, dead eyes of the young girl. Ruby nearly burst into laughter at Yang's horrified expression. "Don't worry about me sis, I just don't like to move around much before a fight. Wastes energy, y'know?" Yang sighed and chuckled, hugging her sister around the shoulder. Not soon after did they hear the beep of a car from outside, and they both went out to see Weiss at the wheel, patiently waiting. "Yo, Weiss!" Yang called, gaining her attention. "Didn't know you could drive. Thought you had a butler to do it for ya!" Weiss sent a seething glare to Yang before turning to Ruby. "You ready?" She nodded as she slipped into the front passenger seat while Yang hopped into the back.

Driving to the small amateur stadium, Ruby was bombarded with questions from the white haired girl. "How are your legs?"

"Good as ever."

"Arms and shoulders?"

"Quick as ever Weiss."

"What about your stamina? You know that's kind of your weak-point."

"Weiss, I'll be fiiiine," Ruby whined, "I pushed myself as hard as I could when I was training. Besides, we all have our weaknesses. I gas out in later rounds, Yang gets countered because of her wildness, and you have your glass jaw," She shot with a grin, earning a small slap to the back of the head from Weiss and a laugh from Yang, Ruby was pretty much on the dot. It was then that something occurred to Yang that it felt like someone was missing. "Hey... where's the coach? Doesn't he come for all fights?"

"Not today," Weiss said, "He's meeting up with the W.B.O Council to try and get greater sponsors for you and Blake." Yang was pleasantly surprised by that: she was gonna get sponsors? Cool! "Besides," Ruby said with a hint of arrogance, "The coach doesn't need to be here. He knows that I'll do just fine. Besides, I've got Weiss!" Again Weiss slapped her on the back of the head, by Yang didn't miss the smile that graced Weiss' face. 'Huh... that's a thing.'

 **A couple minutes later...**

"Hey, for an amateur ring, this is pretty spacey," Yang commented, and rightly so. The Vale Sports-Hall was already quite large to accommodate multiple sporting activities (no duh, it's a sports-hall) and today, it would be home to one of the most brutal events in the world. "Tch, I'd hoped it'd be bigger so everyone could see the beat-down I'm about to give this girl," Ruby scoffed, catching Yang off guard. Again was that shot of brash cockiness that Ruby spouted. Yang had never seen this side from Ruby, if anything, it was something she'd expected from _herself_ (admittedly, the thought stung Yang's pride). "...So, how does this work exactly?" Yang asked, opting to file the info away. "Well," Weiss answered, "Think of these as simple exhibition-matches. There _is_ a small amount of prize-money for the winners. Not to mention, if you're lucky, boxing promoters sometimes view these fights to scout out any potential prospects."

Yang hummed and held a fist out to Ruby. "Kick ass out there little sis!" Ruby grinned and fist-bumped her. "Just watch me big sis." Weiss flicked her on the forehead, making her flinch back with a pout. "Keep your confidence in check Ruby," Weiss reprimanded, "Not every opponent will be an easy one just because of your speed." Ruby just shrugged and skipped over to the bench, taking off her hoodie and strapping on her headgear. "You're going to ask about Ruby's attitude, aren't you?" Weiss asked, startling Yang. "I-uh... yeah actually. What's up with that? I've never seen her so..."

"Brash? Cocky? Arrogant?"

"... I was gonna say 'overconfident', but yeah, that pretty much fits the bill." Weiss sent off a worried look to Ruby, crossing her arms. "It's how she deals with being scared. Hell, it's why she fights the way she fights, she charges in and blitzes her opponent with everything she has for as long as she can to try and finish the job quickly." Yang's eyebrows shot up as she looked back at Ruby, who was already set to go. Looking at her closely, Yang could see her breathing was rather quick and shallow, the twitching lump in her boot giving away her tapping foot. "...God, is it that _bad_?"

"Well, so long as she gets her groove, she'll be fine. To be honest, I think that I connect to her better than even the Coach." Yang raised an eyebrow at the confidence in her voice. "... If there's anything that I know now, it's that _you've_ got overconfidence issues."

"Oh shut up Xiao Long."

Yang was seated a few moments later, close to the ring, still excited to see what Ruby had in store. It was pretty lucky that Ruby's fight was the first one up in all honesty. "Okay people, let's get started," The announcer spoke through the mic. "First up in the welterweight division, we have 45-0, with 15 Tournament wins under her belt, Ruby 'Sugar Ray' Rose!" Yang whooped and cheered as Ruby made her way to the stage, bouncing on her toes and raising a fist, glancing at Yang with a small smile. "Going up against 49-1, Reese Chloris!" The girl on the other side of the ring was noticeably taller than Ruby, spiky green hair poking from her headgear. After a quick talk with the referee, they both went back to their corners ready to go to work. "Okay sis, show me what you've got," Yang muttered to herself, sitting on the edge of her seat.

" **Round 1... Begin!** "

As soon as the gong sounded, Yang blinked, and all of a sudden Ruby was already right up in the face of Reese, who had barely enough time to turn around and raise her guard. ' _Holy shit that was quick!_ ' Yang thought. She was confused as Ruby didn't through any punches, she just stood in front of her, bouncing on her toes. Looking at Weiss, Yang was surprised to see her relaxed, as if this was already going smoothly. "Good job Ruby, don't rush in until you see an opening, just keep dancing and pick her apart!" She called out. That seemed to snap Reese out of it and she threw a quick straight-right. Ruby seemed to literally dance around it firing off a loose, but ungodly-fast jab that snapped her head back. Reese grit her teeth and charged out of her corner, throwing a textbook right hook. Ruby smirked and just leaned back, the punch barely missing her before she hopped backwards to the center of the ring.

' _Why does that style of hers look so... familiar?_ ' Yang wondered.

"Don't let her get away Reese! Stick onto her and go to the body!" Her trainer shouted. Reese did just that, crouching slightly and trying to slide in. What shocked Yang again was that Ruby didn't try to keep her at a distance, she moved in at the same time with her _hands down_. For someone who's style revolved around keep her hands up by her chin at almost every possible moment, this greatly shocked and unnerved Yang. Reese threw another sharp hook that made Yang flinch, but Ruby just hopped to the left, throwing two blinding southpaw jabs before following up with her left hook. It seemed to come out of nowhere, Ruby's face changing from utter relaxation to something much fiercer, her full body-weight thrown into a lightning-fast hook. It shot into Reese's head with a sharp, deafening ***BANG*** , everyone flinching as her head snapped to the side, her eyes unfocused as she stumbled back to the ropes.

Ruby went to rush in, but a powerful straight right deterred her, the glove scraping the side of her cheek before she managed to hop away. Her eyes narrowed as she observed Reese: the blow had stunned her, no doubt, but it wasn't enough to completely leave her open. "Pick her apart Ruby, don't get hasty!" Weiss shouted. Ruby idly hopped around for a bit, testing the waters again as she let off her blinding jabs. Reese attempted to force her way in, tightening her guard as she charged forward. Even Ruby's sharp cross couldn't get past her block and again Ruby nearly ate a right-cross to the face had she not leaned back again. Just as Reese drew her hand back, Ruby's own left hand seemed to appear from under her cross, slamming into her temple with a loud ***POW*** and sending the girl reeling. ' _N-no way, the Phantom Punch!_ '

"Lay into her Ruby!" Weiss shouted, and Ruby did exactly that. Yang's mouth hung open as Ruby _pummeled_ Reese with a storm of blows, a machine-gun _left-right-left-right-left right_ tossing her head around like a speed-bag. Ruby paused for a moment to draw her left hand back, the ref quickly ran in between them. Reese limply slid down the ropes and slumped onto the ground, her eyes open but completely unseeing, glazed over as her head hung limply. He immediately waved his hands over his head, the bell ringing and signalling the end of the match.

" **Winner, by round 1 Knockout, Ruby Rose!** "

' _That was... way shorter than I expected,_ ' Yang thought dumbly. People clapped and cheered lightly as Ruby stood in the middle of ring, raising both hands triumphantly into the air, a massive grin on her face. Weiss hopped into the ring and the two of them gave each other a high five before they exited, Yang quickly running up to Ruby and tackling her into a big, laughing hug. "Holy crap little sis, you were amazing!" Yang laughed, tousling Ruby's hair as the girl blushed slightly. "I've never seen anyone punch so fast and move just as quickly. You're a welterweight Muhammad Ali!" Ruby looked at Yang with a bit of surprise. "Well, you're half right," Weiss interjected. "By far, Ruby's greatest attribute is her blinding speed. While Ali was no doubt fast and had the technique that perfectly suited her, Ruby needed a model boxer who was even faster than that. So, who better to choose from than the Welterweight champion who was inspired from Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard?"

That's when it clicked in Yang's head: indeed, when she was doing research during her free time about the old, legendary boxers, she had come across the sweet Ray Leonard. "Oh! The same dude who was considered part of the Fabulous Four back in the day? Blake also took her style from one of them as well, Hearns I remember you saying a while ago."

"Yeah, that's the one," Ruby beamed after taking off her headgear (Yang was a bit surprised to see how sweaty her hair had become in such a short period of time). "Still though, I credit a good portion of my actual skills from Ali."

"No kidding, I saw that Phantom Punch you landed on her!" Yang congratulated Ruby, who only looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, you mean that little trick? That's nothing compared to what coach Oz can do, you should see his version of it, you _literally_ can't see his punch." That caught Yang off guard. She knew the coach was a boxer back when he was younger, but for Ruby to make a statement such as that with such confidence... it sparked Yang's interest, to say the least. ' _Another thought for another time,_ ' She decided.

"Well, since today was pretty neatly wrapped up I say we go out to celebrate," Weiss announced with a sharp clap of her hands. "My treat."

"Food!? Hell yeah!" Ruby and Yang cheered at the same time before something put a damper on Yang's mood. "Oh... crap. I still have some work to catch up on," Yang groaned. "Good thing I have my scroll, was wondering why I left the damn thing in the car too."

"Well... at least you can eat good food while you study," Weiss offered. "Weiss, shut up."

"Aaaand shutting up."

 **A couple of minutes later...**

"...Yes coach, it was a round one blowout. Ruby was completely calm, she didn't jump the gun at all. Okay then... alright, I'll pass it onto her. Take care Coach." As Weiss put her phone away, she looked up and cringed at the sight before her. Ruby and Yang, looking like near mirror copies of each other, inhaling food at an unhealthy rate. Yang was already on her second serving of chicken while Ruby was devouring her third dessert. Her third! ' _Good lord, how are those two not bloated beyond belief!?_ ' Weiss questioned internally. They had finished not too long after, Yang just barely managing to cover up a belch that could've blown them away, Ruby giggling at her bigger sister's antics. "So," Yang started with a grin on her face. "I never got to ask 'till now, if ya don't mind... what is it that you, the heiress of the biggest mining and mineral company in the world doing in the ring?"

Weiss' face quickly soured for a moment, Yang suddenly regretting asking the question. Ruby elbowed Yang, an annoyed pout on her face. "Yang, you can't just-!" She hissed before Weiss held a hand up, her expression schooled. "It's alright Ruby. Anyway... well what do you know of my father?"

"Uh..." Yang thought, "I've heard he was a pretty controversial person, treating Faunus workers really badly an' stuff."

"That's not even the _half_ of it," Weiss snorted, genuine disgust on her face. "You should know that he married into the Schnee name."

"...But his hair..."

"Dyed to look like a real Schnee," Weiss spat, the sharpness in her tone making Yang flinch. Weiss calmed herself and continued, "Look, there's no denying that his questionable tactics have pushed the company to new heights. There's no denying that he's an excellent businessman. And there's no denying that somewhere deep, deep down, I still love him as my father. But... he's just such a giant dick!" The crassness in Weiss voice startled Yang: she never really took Weiss to have a foul mouth. At that she nearly burst into laughter, in turn startling Weiss. "W-what's wrong?"

"Hehe... sorry Weiss, just never took you as the kind of person to say 'dick'," Yang chuckled, earning an embarrassed blush from Weiss. "P-please, just because I'm posh an elegant doesn't mean I can't have a foul mouth!"

"Yeah, but you kinda bring that upon yourself Weiss," Ruby shot back with a cheeky grin, earning an annoyed flick to the head from Weiss. Yang relaxed and smiled at the scene: after years of constant anger-issues and uncontrollable rage, the calmness of being able to just casually hang out with a fresh group of friends (not counting the stooges: granted, they were great guys, just having Cardin being the ones pulling their leashes made interacting with them regularly pretty much impossible) made Yang feel truly at peace. Not to mention, to have seen her sweet little sister grow up to become a beautiful yet deadly boxer was an opportunity Yang had missed out on no thanks to her pride.

"Alright then Yang," Weiss started, getting Yang's attention again, "A question for a question, if you don't mind?" The blonde shrugged. "Eh, I asked you one so it'd be unfair if I didn't let ya have a shot at me too." Weiss nodded, a curious look in her eyes. "Okay then... why didn't you start boxing with Ruby? You have some of the greatest talent I've ever seen from a prospect with only a single fight under their belt. For you to have caught up with Blake and I is nothing short of surprising in a rather small period of time." Yang sighed. Funny how you can be thinking something and then it just decides to suddenly come up huh? Sounds like a crappy plot-point. "Right then... Weiss, do I look... familiar to you?" Weiss just raised an eyebrow. "Yang, why on earth..." That was when she paused. Her eyes narrowed as she examined Yang's face a bit more closely, seeing something but at the same time unable to place the strange sense of familiarity.

"...Well, come to think about it..." Yang smirked slightly and closed her eyes, focusing on the heat within then, forcing it out. When she opened them, Weiss flinched at the new, brilliant shade of blood-red that adorned her irises. "Now imagine me with black hair." Weiss' eyes shot open, her jaw dropping to the table. "Y... you're... you're _her_ daughter!?" Yang leaned back and nodded, letting the heat fade from her eyes. "Ironic isn't it? Daughter of the champion of Vale, and yet I hated the idea of boxing at first. When I was really young, my mom had left me in order to pursue her boxing career. That's why I never joined Ruby." The white-haired girl winced and lowered her head a bit. "I'm... quite sorry Yang." Yang had a small smile as she waved Weiss off. "Hey, don't mind it. You asked an honest question just like I did, so it's only fair." Yang winked and went back to looking on her phone, frowning a bit.

' _Hmm, I think I can write this part a bit better,_ ' She thought as she began to type. Yang, to many people's surprise, had an innate talent for writing, no thanks to her start with writing stories for Ruby as a young child. As such, she had also dedicated her career to be either an author or a film-writer: she was already good, and getting better as time passed. "How's the story coming along Yang?" Ruby asked, quickly vaulting over the table and looking at Yang's phone. "It's okay so far, but I'm having a bit of difficulty trying to convey fear. The main characters are up against something really unbeatable, but... I just can't find the spark to write what I want."

"You have been working on it almost non-stop, even during your training," Weiss observed. "Maybe you should take a break and give yourself some time to think. I find that it helps me." Yang raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Weiss Schnee, the workaholic herself, is aware of what a break is _and_ is allowing me to have one?"

"Oh shut it Xiao Long." Yang chuckled and after a moment, relented. "Still, you're probably right. Just need a bit of time to rest and think on it," She agreed as she put her phone away. "No use in stressing over something easy, right?"

 **Beacon Boxing Gym...**

Ozpin was currently, standing in front of a heavy bag, just looking at it and tapping his foot, his gloved fists clenching and and relaxing before he finally put them up in a rather old-fashioned stance, lightly moving around the bag. Then he began to shift his feet into light, gentle punches, barely tapping the bag. Indeed, he did quite enjoy doing this in his free time. His movements began to speed up and the strength of his punches increased as time passed. Soon, it looked like he was dancing, literally dancing around the bag and firing sharp, powerful punches. He suddenly shifted in, throwing all of his weight into one straight right, shooting into the bag with a sharp * ** _PAP_** *. Instantly he collapsed to a knee, his right hand, hell, his entire arm and torso flaming with pain. ' _Well, at least I didn't collapse like I did last time. It's healed fairly well over the years, and I'm thankful that I can still use my hands._ ' Chuckling to himself, the old coach took off his gloves and looked at himself in surprise: he was soaking wet from sweat.

"Nine minutes, barely." Ozpin whirled around and promptly grimaced as his back and sides tightened painfully. Glynda sighed and quickly walked up to him, helping him over to a bench, turning him around and kneading at his back. "You're pushing yourself too hard again Oz, last time you lasted eleven minutes." The ring-doctor said sternly, yet the hint of worry did not go unheard. "I don't get why you just don't fine someone to take under your wing to help you teach. Bit by bit, you're going to damage yourself 'till you can't even function properly. You need to stop-!" Ozpin turned to Glynda and leveled a stone-cold glare at her, stopping the woman in her tracks. "Glynda. I refuse to stop until I've made a champion again, a real champion who is a great boxer and a good person, someone who can represent my hard work."

"I understand that, but then why do you overwork yourself punching the bags?" This time, he grinned. "I enjoy it, simple as that."

"Your enjoyment is going to cripple you," She shot back wryly. "Anyway, how did Ruby do?"

"Another knockout. She's an exceptionally talented boxer it seems." Glynda took that wording and went with it. "So you found your champion! Just work on her and once she's gained the Title, just stop!" Frustratingly, Ozpin shook his head. "No, it isn't her. She's raw talent that can easily surpass my teachings with her own intuition: a genius within herself. All I needed was to give her the tools. Yang on the other hand... she's no less talented than her sister, but I can build her from the ground up and truly call her a champion that I created. That's all I've ever wanted after I stopped boxing." Glynda again sighed, hearing the pride and determination in his voice before she gently placed her forehead on the middle of his back, making him flinch in surprise. "Okay. But please, get some rest Oz." He chuckled at that turning to look at her. "Glynda, right now all I want is a hot shower and a nice meal. I don't think I can go on for any longer before my back gives out."

She snorted and continued to knead his muscles in silence, not that the two of them minded.

 **Back with Yang...**

"...and then I grabbed him by the crotch, lifted him over my head and tossed his ass into a dumpster!" Ruby and Yang howled with laughter, Weiss rolling her eyes as she walked beside them, though she was smirking at Yang's bawdy story. "A-And then... I turned the other guy upside-down... and suplexed his balls into a pole!" Ruby was practically hyperventilating with laughter, her face turning purple from a lack of oxygen. "Y...Yang, I c-can't breathe!" She wheezed, shaking as her hands went to the nearest wall, trying to support herself. The blonde managed to stop herself before Ruby actually got hurt, shrieking laughter dying down to muted giggles. "I'll be honest," Weiss spoke up, "That... _story_... of yours was quite amusing."

"Amusing? Weiss, I suplexed a guy's-!"

"-Genitals into a light-pole, I heard you the first time." She chuckled before pondering the event. "Wait... why specifically a suplex?"

"Eh?"

"I understand you were in a fight, but for you to consciously turn someone upside down, ensure that you were near a pole and then proceed to perfectly execute such a maneuver?" Yang grinned and shrugged. "No goddamn clue! I just did it cuz' I thought it'd look funny. Oh, and cool too, but mostly funny." Again Weiss opted to roll her eyes and drop the situation. Yang was just one surprise after the other: first she pops up out of nowhere and gives Blake a run for her money, then she's the rebirth of Mike Tyson and now she turns out to be the daughter of 'That Woman'. Yang Xiao Long at this point was... quite the character to Weiss, no doubt about that. But she was a good friend, nonetheless, and Weiss was happy with that. Out of nowhere, they hear a distressed cry, all three of them pausing before Yang and Ruby took off towards the sound. "W-wait you two!" Weiss cried out, sprinting to try and catch up.

When they had rounded the corner of a restaurant, Yang's face went slack. Just across the street was none other than Cardin Winchester holding some poor goat-Faunus by the horns, painfully twisting his head around. Both Ruby and Weiss turned again to look at Yang, and they immediately started to sweat. Yang's eyes had turn bloody red again, every single muscle in her body taut, the very air around her burning. "Now Yang, I know what you're thinking, but let's first calm down and-!" Yang had instantly taken off, barreling towards Cardin far faster than they thought possible. The large redhead turned just in time to be tackled by Yang and slammed into a wall, Yang looking back at the hurt and surprised Faunus. "Get the hell out of here!" She shouted, motioning over to Ruby and Weiss, the poor boy complying rather quickly. Yang was shoved off a moment later by a flustered and enraged Cardin.

"Mind your own fucking business Xiao Long!" The boy snapped, his own fists clenched. "My business!? You were just bullying a Faunus in _broad daylight_ you jackass!" Yang roared back, the two of them in each other's faces with teeth bared. "Ruby, we should probably... _Ruby stop filming this and put your phone away!_ How long have you been filming anyway!?" Weiss hissed.

"I've got pretty much everything, with Cardin bullying the poor kid and Yang tackling him," She whispered back. Back to the two exes, they were almost literally snapping their teeth at each other. "Know your damn place Xiao Long, and remember your place," He gnashed at her. "Know my place? Know my _fucking place!?_ You don't own me Winchester! YOU _NEVER_ OWNED ME!" He sent her a dirty, smarmy grin and he licked his lips suggestively. "You certainly felt like it at one point. You wanna feel that again?" Yang had enough of Cardin's shit, her face going from enraged to a deadly-calm smirk, startling him. "You ain't got nothing that'll make me feel anything, if you catch my drift," she sneered. The smoothness of the insult caught him of guard before it made him explode, drawing right his hand back in a closed fist before swinging with all of his weight behind it. He never got to land it.

Yang had smoothly slipped under it and twisted her body into an uppercut straight into Cardin's liver with a audible * **THUD** *, the boy's face screwing up in shock and pain as he collapsed, gasping for air. His head was clear, yet he felt every bit of pain tearing his body apart as he dry-heaved, not able to comprehend what was happening to him. Looking up at Yang, he had expected her to start raining blows down on him. All she did was stand there, a look of disappointment on her face. "Not gonna lie..." She spoke after a while, "I didn't find that anywhere near as satisfying as I thought it'd be." She turned around and walked back to a stunned Ruby and Weiss. She paused and looked over her shoulder as Cardin one last time, seeing him struggle to stand up. "You're no longer worth my time."


End file.
